Bird's Eye View
by DarkUnicorn6666
Summary: As the Third Great Ninja War rages across the world, it brings with it the opportunity to prove that a Hyuga can do more than use the gentle fist, and Takanome Hyuga will seize it with both hands. A chance for he and his team to make a name for themselves, and test the limits of what a ninja can be.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

The thump of an arrow hitting wood echoed through the forest, followed in quick succession by three more clustered on the same target. Takanome Hyuga nodded in satisfaction as he lowered his bow and moved to retrieve them.

He glanced up. The sun was setting above the thick canopy, meaning that he had to unfortunately cut his training short. Two months prior, the Hokage had instituted a curfew for minors. He knew it was to protect clan children like him, but there was no reason he should have to obey it at home. Especially since he was about to graduate and become a Genin.

He was going to be so bored after dinner. Uncle Himura always found him before he could even think about sneaking off to the dojo to get some extra training in. No, it was far more important that he listen to boring clan politics. He groaned, wiping the back of his hand across his forehead.

Takanome cleared his mind of such rebellious thoughts as he entered the clan head's house. He removed his sandals silently and lent his bow and quiver against the wall. No need to declare that you were home in a Hyuga household. Takanome made his way to the dining room, where he found the rest of the household about to take their seats. He bowed and took his place at the end of the table, with Hiashi on his left and Hizashi on his right.

"Nice of you to join us Takanome, how goes your training?" Himura asked, although his tone lacked the curiosity it normally did. The Hyuga clan head had his Byakugan on, which Takanome guessed meant he was reading something on his desk down the hall.

"Very well sir, I am fully confident in my ability to pass the exam tomorrow," Takanome replied formally.

"However, I would appreciate some clarification a few stances from forms 4 and 7" he continued.

"I am sure one of the twins would be willing to assist you after dinner," the clan head replied, giving his sons a questioning glace, veins still bulging around his eyes.

"It would be my pleasure, I remember having difficulty in those areas when I was your age as well," Hizashi gave Takanome a small smile, which was mirrored by the identical face across the table. Dinner continued mostly silently, with Himura concentrating on whatever he was doing and the others quietly picking away at their food with only the occasional burst of conversation.

A few hours later, Takanome was running through the last few steps of a gentle fist kata in the house's dojo, with Hizashi correcting him or offering advice when he saw something that could be improved upon. As he finished the last stance a frown marred his face, not escaping the notice of his cousin.

"Speak your mind Taka," the older Hyuga said, "what is troubling you?"

"Well, since that the village is at war right now, can we really afford to spare multiple Jonin to do something as unimportant as train genin?" Takanome answered.

"I would disagree that the training of genin is unimportant, but you are right, the village cannot spare a dozen Jonin, we need every trained ninja we have out fighting. Unfortunately, this means rookie Genin too. Instead of being assigned to a Jonin sensei tomorrow, you will be assigned to low risk jobs in the war effort instead," Hizashi confirmed, his facial expression betraying only a hint of the anger felt at the unfortunate situation. Takanome nodded before dropping his head. He had expected as much, but it was still disappointing.

"Enough of such a depressing subject, I haven't seen your archery skills in action for a while, perhaps a demonstration is in order?"

Takanome's face instantly lifted at the prospect and he quickly retrieved his bow and quiver from where he had left it by the shoji. However, as he began to notch an arrow, he realised something that might pose a slight problem.

"Hizashi, we're inside, I have nothing to shoot at," Takanome said, feeling like a bit of an idiot for not realising something so obvious. His cousin merely laughed, before gesturing towards himself.

"I'll be your target today Taka. I'll perform a rotation but leave a small gap in it. Try to hit me through that gap."

"But what if I injure you?"

"If you manage to get it through, I will be more than fast enough to stop it. Now, let us begin."

The mirth drained from Hizashi's face as he settled into the ready stance of gentle fist form three, legs splayed wide, knees bent, dominant arm in front, palm down. He took a single short breath, activated his Byakugan and began to spin, slowly at first but speeding up slowly until he became a blur of motion. Then a line of sky blue chakra encircled him, joined by another, then another, then another, until Hizashi was completely covered except for a fist sized hole that raced around the circumference of the blue sphere at lightning speed.

The call of "Eight Trigrams: palm rotation!" echoed throughout the dojo.

Takanome took a deep inwards breath, its exhale accompanying the raising of his plain wooden bow. He reached back, drawing a single steel tipped arrow from his quiver. He nocked the arrow to the bowstring, feeling the subtle vibrations echo through the slightly frayed fibre, worn from consistent use. He would have to get it replaced soon, but now was the time to focus. His Byakugan flared, enhanced perception zooming in on his target. He slowly inhaled, using the additional force to gradually draw the bow as he had countless times, its limbs creaking slightly under the load as it reached full draw. He aimed at the height of the small hole and began to tap his finger against the arrows shaft each time it passed by, matching its rhythm.

Tap

Tap

Tap

Tap

Tap

Now!

With an explosive release of pent up kinetic energy, the arrow flew true, swiftly closing in on its target. Takanome willed it onwards, flowing each inch of its flight with bated breath. The arrow neared the wall of pure chakra as the hole spun around to meet it. The arrowhead entered the breach in the absolute defence of the Hyuga clan.

But it did not make it all the way through.

The edge of the rupture sliced into the arrow's shaft, splintering it and sending the shards flying across the room. Hizashi's rotation quickly slowed, then stopped. He looked over to where Takanome stood disappointed, head hung in shame at his failure. He made his way over to his younger cousin and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. The two's eyes met and Hizashi gave him a smile.

"Do not worry Taka, your performance was admirable," the boy gave a dejected nod before straightening up slightly.

"Now it's getting late, you need your rest for tomorrow. Hiashi and I are heading out on a mission early, so I won't see you until I get back." Hizashi continued, dropping his hand back to his side.

"Well next time you see me, I'll be sure to have one of these," a smile broke out on Takanome's face as he reached up and tapped Hizashi's forehead protector, before leaving and making his way to his bedroom.

He performed his ablutions and changed into his pyjamas. As he lay on his bed, he closed his eyes and activated his Byakugan, allowing his point of view to drift over the moonlit village. He often did this before he went to sleep, it gave him a sense of peace after an eventful day.

Except it seemed tonight not all was peaceful.

As his perspective floated over the village gate, he spotted a cloud of dust coming up the main road that lead to the gates. He tried to move closer, outside the bounds of the village, but he was at the limit to his vision. As the dust cloud neared, he realised it was a squad of ninja running at full speed. As they passed through the gate, one of the arrivals disappeared in a body flicker in the direction of the Hokage's tower. Ignoring him, Takanome focused in on the group who had stopped just inside the gate. There were three people left behind, wait no, there were four.

One of the ninja had been carried on the back of a comrade and looked to be in horrible shape. His dark hair was wild, his skin was covered in what appeared to be chakra burns and his eyes were screwed shut in pain. The man's hands and face were covered in a layer of dried blood, as was his standard Jonin uniform. He seemed vaguely familiar to Takanome, perhaps he had seen the man around the village?

As he manoeuvred to try and get a better look at the man's face, the Hokage himself as well of a tall man who he recognised as Jiraiya of the Sannin body flickered into the square. Jiraiya immediately rushed to the man's side, seeming highly distressed and evidently speaking to the man's teammates. Takanome tried to get into a position where he could read the white-haired man's lips, but as his perspective dropped to ground level, the Hokage slowly turned and looked directly at him. The Hokage offered a sad smile to the shocked Takanome.

"Run along little Hyuga, this is not your place," he mouthed, waving his hand in dismissal. Still stunned that he had been detected, Takanome reluctantly deactivated his Byakugan, eventually drifting off to sleep.

Hiruzen signed as he felt the tell-tale spatial distortion and accompanying chakra signature subside. He walked over to where his student was beginning to help the dark-haired Jonin up off the ground. As Jiraiya helped him stand up, the man groggily opened his eyes, which were extremely bloodshot, as if he had been crying heavily. They darted around the group, lingering for a second on Jiraiya, before focusing on the Hokage. The man gave a half bow, clearly causing himself pain, before speaking with a voice hoarse from screaming.

"I have a report for you sir," he said, coughing harshly as he finished the sentence, eyes glancing towards the storage scroll they had brought back, the kanji for dead body present on the tag on the front.

"You can give it to me in a hospital bed considering the state you're in, we'll have Tsunade take a look at you. Everyone else, you are dismissed, take a few days off, you've earned it," Hiruzen turned back to the man that some believed could be a candidate for his successor as the rest of his team disappeared, motioning that they should begin walking towards the hospital.

"Now tell me, what happened… Fugaku."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Takanome was woken by the early morning sunlight streaming through the window. He quickly pulled on his white jacket and pants, then headed to the kitchen to quickly prepare breakfast. He ate alone, everyone else had already left.

A few minutes later he was out the door, bow and quiver slung over his shoulder. As he exited the clan compound gate, he leaped up onto the nearby buildings and began to run towards the academy's location at the foot of the Hokage monument. It worked well as a way to get him fully awake and warmed up for the morning. As he bounded across the rooftops, he noticed someone else doing the same thing.

She was about his age, with short white hair and bright amber eyes. Her golden tunic flapped in the wind as the two exchanged glances, as they made their way towards the academy. He knew who she was of course, Heiko Haiiro, one of the top students in the other class at the academy. He had only spoken with her during the occasional interclass events, but during that time they had struck up a minor rivalry. After a moment, she leaped over the street that separated them and began to run alongside him.

"Morning white-eyes," she chirped as they raced along the tiled roofs of the village. This was met with an eye roll and accompanying sign from Takanome, who quickly composed himself in response to Heiko's arched eyebrow.

"Good Morning to you Miss Haiiro," he replied formally, as was befitting to addressing a clan heir.

"You reckon you're good for the exam today?" she asked, voice level despite their exertion.

"Yes, I'm very confident in my ability to pass; what of yourself?" he replied; his speech just as composed.

"It'll be a breeze; will I finally get to see that bow of yours in action?"

"I do plan to demonstrate my archery during the extra skills section, do you have anything specific you wish to exhibit?"

"I've finally nailed a couple of clan techniques, hopefully some stuff that can really wow the teachers."

"I look forward to seeing them," he replied as they landed in front of the academy building.

"See yah later," Heiko called as she waltzed into her classroom across the hall from his.

Takanome entered his own classroom to be greeted by relative silence, the kids already present chatting in small groups. Takanome took his usual seat by the window near the front, giving a short greeting to Sanon, the class teacher, and settled down to wait.

After another 15 minutes or so, the rest of the class trickled in. When Sanon had seen everyone had arrived, he began to explain exactly what the exam entailed.

"I know you have heard this before, but a refresher never hurt. First, you will complete a 2-hour long exam, containing short and long answer questions concerning both general academic and ninja-based topics. Following that will be the ninjutsu evaluation, then taijutsu followed by throwing weapons. Finally, if you have any extra skills that you have learnt outside of the Academy, you may demonstrate them for additional credit. I wish you all good luck."

4 hours later, the throwing weapon evaluation was wrapping up. Takanome had aced taijutsu and throwing weapons as he had expected, but had struggled a bit on his ninjutsu, due to his neglecting to spend the full time required to master the assigned techniques. The same was true for the written test, math and history were no problem, but everything else felt slightly shaky. No matter, I'll make up for it on the extra skills section, he thought as mostly of the classes trickled out of the training field, leaving only a dozen or so children, most of them hailing from a clan.

"Alright everyone, I'll call you up one by one. If you need any resources, please don't hesitate to ask." Sanon declared, having taken responsibility for the extra skills section. There was a chorus of affirmatives, before the Chunin instructor called the first name.

"Takanome Hyuga, what is it you wish to demonstrate?" he called out.

"Archery and Byakugan sir," the boy said as he stood up and unslung his bow.

"Thank you for informing us of your requirements early, the targets you asked for are positioned somewhere within the forest. You will be awarded points based on accuracy, speed and the distance to target. The floor is yours." Sanon stepped behind Takanome, as did the rest of the children.

Deep breath in. And out.

His Byakugan flared, veins bulging out across his face, vision sweeping out across the small forest that bordered the academy. Target 1, 50m, 70 degrees true. Nock arrow, chakra coat, pull, aim.

Deep breath in. And out.

Fire!

The arrow slicing through the air, flying between the massive trunks of ancient trees, chakra coating allowing it to rip straight through the thick foliage, before landing directly on the bullseye of the hidden target. Not giving himself a moment to celebrate, Takanome continued his search for the rest of the targets.

Target 2, 120m, 30 degrees true.

Deep breath in. And out.

Bullseye.

Target 3, 150m, 85 degrees true.

Deep breath in. And out.

Bullseye.

He blasted through the targets, striking all 10 in under a minute, 6 being perfect shots. Takanome finally let himself relax and turned back to face the class, a rare smile breaking across his face.

"Very impressive Takanome, I will go and count up your points when everyone else is finished."

The Hyuga nodded in acknowledgement, before sitting back down and zoning out. That was until the only name he was really interested in was called.

"Heiko Haiiro, what is it you wish to demonstrate?"

"A Hiden ninjutsu sir," the clan heir replied as she stood and made her way to the centre of the field. As she began to make hand signs, Takanome activated his Byakugan, observing how her chakra flowed through her system. It was heavily biased towards the physical aspect, generating almost pure Yang chakra. This was typical of Haiiro techniques, as the clan's members were born heavily attuned to either Yin or Yang natures.

He watched as the glowing white yang chakra coalesced into her fist, surrounding it in a corona of pure light.

"Yang style: Brilliant Strike" she yelled, thrusting her fist into the training dummy. A flash of white light accompanied the impact, which faded to reveal an annihilated dummy and a grinning Heiko, who took an over-dramatic bow. She received a light round of applause and a commendation from Sanon, who then called up the next and final student.

"Shodo Maekawa, what is it that you wish to demonstrate?" he asked, as an auburn-haired girl that Takanome didn't recognise stood up.

"A new seal I have developed sir. I will ah… need a volunteer." Her voice was quiet but firm.

"I'll do it!" Heiko's hand shot up and at Shodo's acknowledgement, she skipped over to the shorter girl, who was retrieving what looked to be a calligraphy brush and a pot of ink from her bag. After a whispered conversation, the two sat down and Shodo painted a small seal onto her right palm, followed by an identical one on Heiko's. Takanome examined the seal with his Byakugan. He knew the very basics of fuinjutsu, which meant he recognised the spiral in the centre as a chakra storage seal but couldn't make heads or tails of what the outer ring of script did.

"Effectively," Shodo stated as she and Heiko stood up, "this seal acts as a chakra "bridge" between two people, allowing for a transference of chakra as long as the two are in direct contact." She continued to explain about exactly how the seal "filtered" chakra in order to make it compatible with the recipient's network and stored the extra inside the seal.

"Very impressive Ms Maekawa, please proceed." Sanon took a step back after inspecting the design.

Shodo nodded, before linking hands with her volunteer in what appeared to be a snake seal. As a soft glow began to emanate from their hands, Takanome zoomed in on the connection. He could see Heiko's glowing white yang-affinity chakra move up her arm and into the seal. There it seemed to twist in a way he didn't quite understand, before emerging into Shodo's system as mercurial water chakra. As he continued to observe the process, Takanome noticed something quite strange. A closer examination of Shodo's chakra system revealed a set of chakra coils significantly smaller than the norm. But that wasn't the strangest part. He watched as the coils began to stretch as they reached capacity, before suddenly emptying extremely quickly, the chakra vanishing from his vision. This process continued a number of times, before Shodo broke the connection. Takanome deactivated his Byakugan, noticing that Heiko was panting slightly, but still grinning widely as she sat down. Sanon congratulated Shodo, who bowed before retaking her seat.

"Thank you for the demonstration Ms Maekawa, this seal definitely has serious applications in real world scenarios. Now that will conclude the testing for today, you are all free to go. I will see you back her tomorrow at normal time for results distribution and team assignment." Sanon said, before shooing the children home.

The next morning began exactly as the previous one had, until Takanome arrived at the Academy. A sign on the classroom door indicated that all students proceed to the main auditorium. When he got there, he was surprised to see the Hokage himself. The elderly man gave Takanome a knowing wink, before indicating that he take a seat in the mostly empty auditorium and continuing his conversation with Sanon and a number of the other teachers.

Takanome didn't have to wait long after finding a seat, as the large room quickly filled with the rest of his cohort. A few moments later, the Hokage stepped up to the lectern, his presence silencing the chattering students.

"Good morning to you students. It is my great pleasure to inform you that every single one of you passed." This information was met with uproarious cheering from the new Genin, even the more stoic among them cracking at least a smile. The Hokage smiled, giving the children a moment to celebrate before once again indicating for quiet. He had it instantly; the first lesson you learned as a prospective ninja was obedience to your commanding officer, especially the Hokage.

"There is some bad news. As many of you know, we are currently in the middle of a war. Unfortunately, this means the village cannot afford to spare the manpower to assign each team to the normal tutelage under a Jonin." This was met by a number of gasps and complaints, which ceased as the Hokage explained to the Genin what Hizashi had told Takanome. Following that the Hokage gave his usual speech about the Will of Fire, before wishing them all the best in the future and taking his leave. Sanon replaced him at the lectern, giving a rundown of exactly what would be expected of them. Most teams would either be assigned to deliver messages or run supplies within some of the larger camps on the front. A select few of the teams would be sent to some of the low risk outposts as reinforcements.

Sanon then began to read off the team assignments and Takanome didn't have to wait long to get his.

"Team Three: Takanome Hyuga, Heiko Haiiro and Shodo Maekawa. Maekawa is the team leader. Please come collect your instructions." The three teenagers glanced at each other on the way down to the lectern. When they arrived, Sanon passed Shodo a piece of paper and then a headband to each of them, which the trio donned eagerly.

"Those are your instructions, you three are one of the teams that are being sent out to an outpost, you are expected there within the week. Stay safe, but I have high expectations for the three of you." The older man smiled, before indicating the doorway.

As the trio spilled outside, Heiko began chatting incessantly, much to the chagrin of her teammates.

"I'm so happy I'm with you two! I was worried that I was going to be assigned to boring supply runs, but no, we're going to be in on the action, on the front lines!" A radiant smile split her face.

"From what I understand of these instructions, I hope that we don't see any live combat. We have been assigned to outpost W1, which is near the border of Waterfall country. If a force from the Hidden Stone is coming through there, they could completely flank our main forces or go straight for the village," Shodo face was marred with a frown as she read the piece of paper.

"We need to report to the village quartermaster at the armoury in order to requisition supplies," she continued as the three made their way towards their new destination, a large grey building a short distance from Hokage tower.

"Approximately how far is it to W1?" Takanome asked a moment later, somewhat nervous to interact with his new team.

"If my memory serves me correctly, the Waterfall border is about 2 and a half days run at standard travel speed, plus about half a day to get to the outpost."

"I believe it would make a positive impression by arriving ahead of schedule. Would you two be agreeable to leaving straight away after we get our gear?"

Takanome received two affirmative nods as the newly minted Team 3 entered the quartermaster's office. They were met with a normal enough looking lobby, with a civilian woman sitting behind a receptionist's desk. She gave the three a practiced smile.

"What can I do for you three today?" she asked, glancing at the shiny new headbands.

"We are here to requisition gear in addition to supplies for outpost W1," replied the team leader.

"Ah yes, please go through those doors, and continue straight until you reach the back of the warehouse. The quartermaster is expecting you," she said, indicating a set of double doors to the left of the desk.

Team 3 thanked the receptionist and emerged from the double doors into an enormous warehouse, filled with 15-meter-high shelves covered in a honeycomb pattern. Each hexagon was stamped with a serial number and a handle. A short Byakugan pulse revealed that inside most cells was a standard sized storage scroll. At the far end of the building was what appeared to be a smith's workshop and a wall of unsealed weapons, some of which were emitting faint chakra signatures, in addition to a signature belonging to a Jonin-level ninja.

Takanome explained what he saw to his slightly puzzled teammates.

"Honestly it makes sense," mused Heiko, "why waste space when you can use scrolls to store a 100 times more materials. In any case, let's not keep this quartermaster guy waiting."

As the three approached the man, he set down his tools and turned to face them, revealing a pair of crimson eyes.

"Let's see, a Hyuga, a Heiko and a girl with tiny chakra reserves. Team 3 here to get equipped and pick up the supplies for W1." Team 3 was shocked that the elderly man had identified them so easily, but then again, the Sharingan was legendary for exactly that. Takanome was the first to recover.

"Yes sir, that is correct."

"Well then here it is." The quartermaster indicated three packs and an extra-large storage scroll laid against the workbench.

"Standard equipment includes the following: temperature regulating cloak/blanket, 4 dozen shuriken, dozen kunai, 6 self-arming explosive tags, 3 weeks rations, bingo book and first aid kit. Do the three of you need any extras?" he glanced towards the bow and quiver slung over Takanome's back.

"An archer eh? Let me see if I can hook up with something more advanced than that old wooden thing."

"That would be much appreciated sir," Takanome bowed to the man, who waved off his gratitude.

"No problem, lack of archers these days means I have a bunch of bows just lying around collecting dust. Any other requests?"

"Could I bother you to retrieve some advanced sealing supplies?" Shodo asked hesitantly.

"Understood, nothing for you Miss Haiiro?"

"No thanks, I've got everything I need." The response was accompanied by Heiko cracking her knuckles and a facepalm from Takanome.

"Well I'll grab your teammates gear. In the meantime, stay here and don't touch anything." The elderly Uchiha made his way down one of the aisles, leaving Team 3 on their own.

"Hey, do you guys want to get lunch together before we go? You know some team bonding!" Heiko said in a slightly too loud voice, her words echoing through the cavernous edifice.

"That sounds like a lovely idea, what do you say Takanome?"

"I would be honoured,"

"Oh, don't be so stiff white-eyes, we're a team now, you can pull the stick out of your arse as long as you're around us." Heiko's teasing resulted in a giggle from Shodo and a very red-faced Takanome. Luckily, he was saved from further torment by the return of the quartermaster, who returned bearing a pair of scrolls.

"Alright, first, advanced sealing supplies for Miss Maekawa." The Uchiha placed the scrolls on the workbench and unrolled the first. With a puff of smoke, the tools appeared, mostly brushes of different thicknesses and a stack of square blank sealing tags. Shodo smiled appreciatively and began to place the items into the satchel she wore.

"And for Master Hyuga…" the second scroll opened revealing a gleaming black bow and a matching quiver filled with wicked looking barbed arrows. Takanome's eyes widened as he picked up the pristine weapon, as the quartermaster began to list off its specifications.

"This is a Binary Cam carbon fibre compound bow. It has an adjustable draw weight, which you can increase as you become more proficient in chakra reinforcement. The arrows' shafts are made from trees grown by Lord First and the heads and spines are Land of Iron chakra conductive steel. Each one has a small chakra storage seal near the nock, which you can fill up while drawing to then be released either during flight or upon impact. I assume you already have all the appropriate maintenance supplies?" Takanome's rapture allowed him to only give quick nod.

"Good, the operation manual for the extra features is sealed in the bottom limb. I don't get to hand out many bows anymore. Most don't see the necessary training as worth it when you can achieve a similar effect with a kunai. Show them why the bow has been feared for thousands of years."

"Thank you, sir, I will do my absolute best." This time, he managed a full bow, with his teammates quickly joining him.

"Now you three get moving, you're not the only team I'm going to be helping today."

Team 3 gave their last goodbyes, before departing the way they came, gear in hand. The quartermaster returned to his task, red eyes studying the glowing metal.

"Alright! How does barbeque sound to you two?" Heiko's voice filled the air outside the armoury. Her significantly quieter teammates both gave a nod.

"Great! Follow me and try to keep up!" The Haiiro clan heiress suddenly shot off in a dead sprint up the side of a nearby building, leaving Shodo and Takanome standing alone on the street, stunned by her sudden departure. The former was the first to recover, a pair of seals on her bare calves flashing into life. Takanome followed shortly after, trying to stay steady as to avoid dislodging the new bow slung across his back. The two quickly caught up to their over-eager comrade, who flashed them a wild grin.

As the trio raced across the rooftops, Takanome once again noticed something strange with his Byakugan. Shodo's chakra system was doing the opposite of what it had done the day before, rapidly draining, before suddenly filling up again. He continued to observe for a few seconds, examining the anomaly, before Shodo glanced back at him. He instantly deactivated his be Byakugan, red with embarrassment even if she couldn't have actually known. They continued in silence for another minute or two, before arriving at the barbeque restaurant. Heiko gave the waitress a little wave as they walked in, getting a wide smile in return, and proceeded to make a beeline for a booth in the back corner. The restaurant was mostly empty, as if Takanome was being honest with himself, it was a little early for lunch.

The group sat down and after giving their order to the waitress, Heiko lay back into the soft red padding of the booth, hands crossed behind her head.

"So, now that we're teammates, wouldn't it be just grand for the three of us to get to know each other?"

"That would definitely be a positive course of action. My name is Shodo Maekawa. I specialise in sealing techniques, my primary nature type is water…" Shodo was promptly cut off by Heiko, madly waving her hands in mock annoyance.

"No, I mean talk about yourself, your family, your hobbies, that sort of stuff. Ninja skills can come later."

Her teammates were somewhat taken aback by this statement. Sharing intel with your allies had been drilled into them as a vital step when first forming a team.

"Look I know that we were taught in the academy that battle intel is far more important than personal details, but for the foreseeable future it's just going to be the three of us against the world." For a moment Heiko's sunny exterior dropped, only to instantly reignite as she gestured for Shodo to start again.

"Well I guess you're right. I come from a civilian family, my father is an ore merchant and my mother works at the Konoha Library. My main hobbies would be sealing and reading, primarily non-fiction concerning ninja subjects, but I dabble in a bit of fiction when I feel like it. I also do a fair bit of gardening."

Maybe when we get back from our assignment, I could show you two my garden?"

"I would be honoured,"

"Sounds great! Do you have a favourite seal you've made?"

"Yes, I actually do, give me a second," Shodo rustled around in her messenger bag, which Takanome now saw contained an area for holding various brushes and pots of ink; a stack of blank squares of sealing paper and a sort of portfolio of dozens of seals, which she was currently flipping through.

"Here it is. My attraction seals!" With a great deal more flourish than Takanome had seen her act with before, Shodo produced a pair of seals from the bag.

"These were the first seals I made from scratch, completely my own work. Basically, they come in a set of two, a parent seal and a child seal. You can place the parent onto a surface or object and the child onto a different object. Then when you send a chakra signal to the parent, it will attach the child to it and stick the two together. The force is dependent on how much chakra you give it. Here let me show you. "

She stuck the parent seal onto the edge of the table and the child onto a salt shaker, which was positioned on the other side of the grill from its parent. She then tapped the edge of the table, the ink design lighting up blue for a moment, proceeded by the salt shaker flying across the table, neatly sticking in place. This earned a round of applause from Heiko and a nod of approval from Takanome. Shodo gave a small blush as she removed the seals and replaced them in her bag.

It was at that moment that the meat arrived, and the conversation paused while the trio began cooking their food. After all was placed on the grill, Heiko gestured that Takanome give his introduction.

"My name is Takanome Hyuga. I live with my uncle Himura, who is the head of the Hyuga clan. My parents died in the second great war, but I don't remember them very much. My Hobbies would be archery, practicing the gentle fist and hiking, although I haven't got much opportunity to do the latter since the war started." Which really was a shame, he had always felt most at home out in the wilderness, surrounded by the beauty of nature.

Heiko rounded out the trio when Takanome indicated he was finished. "My name is Heiko Haiiro, heiress to the Haiiro clan. I'm an only child and both my parents are active duty ninja. My main hobby would be training, but I also really enjoy tasting new foods. Nothing beats BBQ though. Speaking of which, let's eat!" the white-haired girl began to aggressively attack the spread of beef and pork as though it was a squad of Stone ninja, forcing her teammates to scramble to get their share.

Light conversation continued over the rest of lunch, the sort of mundane chatter that they would soon lose the ability to engage in. When the bill arrived, Shodo immediately pulled out a thick wallet and paid, ignoring her teammates' polite protests. The trio agreed to meet at the main gate in an hour's time, needing to return home to pick up extra clothes and to inform their parents what was happening.

When Takanome arrived back at the Hyuga compound, Himura was still out. A carefully written note informing him about the current situation was handed off to one of the guards. He then packed enough clothes and such for an extended stay and set off for the beginning of his journey as a ninja.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

"Team 3 departing for border watch at W1, requesting sign out" Shodo's overly formal appeal was met with a grin from the gate guard.

"Request approved, good luck out there." The Chunin gave them a friendly wave as they left the walls of the village and entered into a warzone.

The three genin adopted a standard pace leaping through canopy, fast to cover significant ground, but slow enough they could still hold a conversation, speaking of the serious matters they had previously put off. They travelled this way until the sun began to dip below the horizon, when they happened upon a small clearing appropriate to camp for the night. Once camp was prepared, they continued the discussions on combat abilities and team formations. The next two days continued this way without event until on the evening of the third the profile of a watchtower rose above the endless sea of green.

Team 3 cautiously approached the edge of the clearing that held the lookout and a number of small buildings. As they exited from the tree line, a man wearing the standard leaf flak jacket seemed to melt out of the long shadows cast by the setting sun. The blue and white markings on his shoulders indicated his position as the Jonin in command of the outpost, while his physical features and hairstyle reminiscent of a pineapple communicated that he was a member of the Nara clan.

"Team 3, right? You guys are early, the message to expect you only arrived yesterday." The man's voice was serious and held a hint of suspicion.

"We thought it would be a good idea to arrive early sir," came Takanome's slightly nervous reply, did he think them imposters?

"Taking initiative eh? I like you three already. The name's Shikazu Nara, and I'll be your commanding officer for the next 3 months. The fact that you're here in the first place indicates that you know what you're doing, so let's skip the boring stuff and get you guys settled in," he motioned that they should follow him and set off towards the main compound.

"I assume the journey wasn't too bad?" Shikazu spoke slowly, as if every word was carefully considered, even if his informal tone made it seem otherwise.

"No incidents to report sir!" Heiko's response was anything but measured, especially since it was accompanied by a mock salute. The Jonin winced slightly, but a small grin followed it.

"So, you're not one of the quiet Haiiros eh?"

"Nope! Yang aligned and proud."

"Good, Yins are much more troublesome in my personal experience. Too much like looking in a mirror."

As the group entered the compound, a dozen or so ninja began to trickle out of the various buildings, eager to check out the new arrivals. Shikazu pointed out in turn what each of the structures were for.

"Sleeping quarters, mess hall, command centre, watchtower and that…" he directed their attention to a squat concrete block with a single entrance and no windows.

"… is our supply dump. Or at least the entrance. It may or may not also be a bunker built to withstand an attack from a tailed beast."

"Hold up, did you just say tailed beast?" Heiko's response was definitely a reasonable one.

"Well technically it was designed that way, but I doubt the thing would actually work,"

"Do you get very many tailed beasts up here?"

"Of course not, but every decade or so the Seven-Tails ends up on a rampage and Iwa does have two Jinchuriki. Now on a more important note, I need to actually take you inside the bunker, you'll meet everyone at dinner in a bit. There's only 14 of us here excluding you guys, so we're pretty close knit." Shikazu took the large pack containing the extra supplies off of Heiko and set off towards the bunker.

A trip through a heavy steel door and down a ladder later, the group arrived in a standard supply room, with the walls lined with stacks of weapons, ammo and other materials. Heiko leaned against a stack of steel crates, not bothering to cover the enormous yawn covering her face.

Shikazu dropped the pack in the corner and turned to give Heiko a terrifying grin.

"I would move if I were you Miss Heiko, you're leaning against 200 kilos of paper bombs,"

The heiress immediately jumped away from the wall, a glare and an open mouth indicating a truly scathing retort was about to be directed at the Jonin.

Unfortunately, she never got the chance.

A thunderous boom shook the room, the entire edifice vibrating and cracking as the earth itself groaned in protest. A moment later a miasma of pure hate filled the air, and the undeniable fact that he was going to die was all that passed through Takanome's mind. He couldn't take it, he had to stop it, end it, now now now!

The arrow was halfway to his chest before his hand unclenched without his instruction.

Shikazu's voice washed over him, accompanied by the ethereal grip of his shadow. The chakra construct had ensnared not only Takanome, but Heiko and Shodo as well. The two of them were in similar states of distress, both with kunai only inches from their throats.

"Genin Hyuga, I need above ground status,"

"Yes sir," he managed to stammer out, years of conditioning triumphing over primal fear. He activated his Byakugan, and instantly wished he hadn't.

It was utter carnage.

It was as if a god had taken a sword to W1. A path of utter desolation ran through the middle of the outpost, right up to where it had blasted the watchtower into a pile of rubble. Takanome could see a pair of chakra signatures weakly shinning inside the debris, slowly fading away.

The rest of the buildings weren't in much better shape, walls and roofs collapsed, fire spreading everywhere, interspaced with the glow of more chakra signatures, some of them scrambling about as the bodies they were emanating from began to regroup.

But what was the point of regrouping in the face of that…

At the edge of the clearing stood a creature wreathed in an aura of chakra so bright it was like a miniature sun. What looked like steam curled off its body, stirred up by the five swishing tails filling the space behind it.

Then the chakra seemed to recede into the creature's body, as it rose from all fours into the form of the towering man in ceramic armour, a kasa perched atop his head, just above a Hidden Stone headband.

As the transformation completed, the man was joined by five squads of ninja, including another giant of a man clad in the standard Iwa uniform, almost as tall as what Takanome could only assume was the Five Tails Jinchuriki. The second man gave a few sharp orders that Takanome couldn't quite make out, before he and the Jinchuriki made for the bunker door.

As Takanome hurriedly reported what he had seen, Shikazu allowed himself a single, tremendously loud expletive, before regaining his composure. He dashed over to the desk near the wall and quickly inscribed a message onto one of the open scrolls.

"I need you three to take these and go out the back entrance." He handed Shodo the scroll and a strange looking three-pronged kunai he had retrieved from inside his jacket.

"Throw the kunai into the ground and help should arrive. Above all else you need to get this scroll to the Hokage and out of enemy hands. The back entrance is behind that bookcase. It will take you about 2 minutes to reach the exit, when you do, get clear of the outpost before throwing the kunai." Shikazu's orders were punctuated with the sound of the door to the bunker buckling.

"Go!" the Jonin's yell shocked Team 3 out of their stupor. As they slipped through the tiny gap behind the bookshelf, they emerged into a small tunnel only wide enough for a single person to crawl through. Takanome took point and Heiko the rear, protecting Shodo. The shorter girl was quietly whimpering as they crawled through the pitch black.

Suddenly the tunnel shook with the sound of something heavy hitting the floor of the bunker, followed by an identical vibration a moment later. Takanome's curiosity overrode his good sense and he risked a peak into the room they had just left.

Shikazu had trapped the two Stone ninja in his shadow, made stronger by the electric lights of the basement. However, it was obvious that it was requiring extreme effort to keep the two giants contained, even if he was doing nothing but keeping them still. But that didn't stop them from speaking.

"Give it up Nara, you can barely hold the two of us still, never mind hurt us. Surrender now and we will spare the children," the shorter man snarled, Takanome struggling to read his lips due to the scowl that marred his face. His partner was far more serene, but his body was coiled like a predator, ready to strike at the smallest opportunity. Shikazu offered no reply and the standoff continued. Takanome shifted his vision away, focusing now on the tunnel ahead

Team 3 exited from the tunnel into a small clearing, the trapdoor hidden beneath a bush. As Shodo pulled the strange kunai from her belt, Takanome risked one last glance at the bunker. He would later thank the gods above that he had.

Shikazu had used his shadow to smash open one the bunker's lights, the exposed wires slowly falling towards a pile of now open steel crates. A smile was the Nara's last expression, contrasted against the horror of his opponents.

"GET DOWN!" Takanome yelled and his teammates wasted no time in doing so, diving into the leaf cover of the forest floor. An instant later an explosion even larger than the first shook the area, the shockwave sending the genin flying despite their best efforts, half their bodies being burnt by the blast of heat.

They slowly rose to their feet in awe of the enormous cloud of smoke that rose from where the outpost once stood. They were so transfixed; they almost didn't notice the trio of kunai rushing towards them. Takanome saw them coming from the corner of his eye, barely deflecting them with a barrage of precision gentle fist strikes. Their assailant was not far behind, a Stone Chunin who had evidently been sent to guard the perimeter.

The burst of adrenaline pushed Shodo out of her shock, showing why she had been chosen as team leader.

"Formation 6, Version 1!" she yelled, and the team exploded into action. Heiko leaped forward, fists glowing with concentrated yang chakra, to engage their aggressor in a taijutsu clash. The man tried to block her punches, but her fists burned his arms wherever he did. The pain he felt distracted him from the seal that she had planted on his chest with the first attack.

Simultaneously Shodo attached another seal to Takanome's nocked arrow, the 10 second timer already active. He let the pristine arrow fly, directly towards his opponent's head.

The Stone ninja responded by slamming his foot to the ground, causing a wave of rolling earth knocking Heiko back, accompanied by the cry of "Earth style: Mud Wave". This gave him just enough space to pluck the arrow from the air right before impact. He threw the projectile backwards, keeping his eyes trained on his adversaries.

"Nice try kids, but you're going to have to do better than that to beat…" the man was cut short by a horrible squelch, as an arrow suddenly sprouted from his chest, the seal on its head growing bright blue.

"Damn you…" was the only thing he could say before he collapsed, a pool of blood beginning to surround him, the shaft of the arrow emerging from his back.

Team 3 didn't have a moment to relax however, as a roar of anger filled the clearing. The Jinchuriki was charging towards them, a transparent crimson shroud of chakra covering his body. The titan was making a beeline towards them, smashing trees aside as if they were toothpicks.

Shodo threw the kunai into the ground and it had barely left her hand before a flash of yellow filled the space in front of Team 3. A young man in a Leaf flak jacket landed in front of them. A single glance around was all he needed to assess the situation, diving into Team 3.

As soon as Minato's arms made contact with the children, the whole group vanished, leaving Han to grasp at nothing but empty space.

"Damn it!" he yelled, a frustrated stomp fracturing the ground beneath his boot.

"Did they get away?" Kitsuchi entered the clearing a moment later, the last shards of the rock armour he had used to protect himself falling to the ground.

"Yeah, Namikaze saved them. They killed Narin too." The two Stone nin dropped their heads in shame, the body of their dead comrade their only company.

"We can't continue the attack if the info has been leaked, we need to return home and inform my father."

"I agree."

A pause.

"Didn't Narin have a son?"

"Yeah, just a baby actually. I think his name is Deidara."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Takanome gasped as the smoke-filled air of the burning forest was replaced by the cool breeze of central Fire country. He fell onto the cobblestones of a sidewalk, a pair of grunts indicating his teammates had come with him. He looked up, directly into the eyes of a boy a little older than he was. The black-haired leaf nin (as indicated by the headband positioned beneath a pair of orange goggles) stretched out his arm.

"Need a hand?" he asked, voice filled with obvious concern.

"Thank you," Takanome took the offered hand, stumbling as his legs almost buckled as he was pulled up, blurry vision revealing to him that his teammates were being helped up by a brunette with blue markings on her face, and a silver haired teen with a mask covering his nose down. The man who had saved them rose to his feet, the strange kunai held in his hand.

"Where the hell are we?" Heiko exclaimed, only for her question to be answered by the familiar stone faces staring down at them from their exalted perch.

"Back in the Leaf? But how?" Shodo was gobsmacked. They travelled over a thousand kilometres in an instant!

"That would be my doing Miss. I'll be happy to explain later, but right now I think you three need to be taken to the hospital and I need to get that scroll to Lord Hokage. " The blonde Jonin eyes focused on the document that Shodo still held.

"Oh, of course," she quickly handed him the piece of parchment, and not a moment later he disappeared with a rush of air.

"Well you heard sensei, let's get these cute little genin to the hospital," declared the black-haired boy.

"Obito, there's no need to be so disparaging ,but those burns do look pretty bad." The girl's expression shifted to one of compassion. Their silver haired teammate rolled his eyes.

Takanome took the opportunity to pass out from exhaustion.

Minato landed in the hallway outside the Hokage's office, calm façade hiding a maelstrom of grief and panic, the kunai he had specially designated as Shikazu's clutched tightly in his right hand. The Nara wouldn't have given it away unless he was sure he was going to die.

"Enter," came the call from within the office. Minato opened the door, revealing Hiruzen staring out the window, puffs of smoke emanating from his pipe.

"Emergency report from outpost W1 sir," Minato handed over the scroll, which was immediately snapped out of his hand, the elder ninja's eyes scanning the hastily formed characters.

Outpost under attack by Stone forces, seemingly led by Kitsuchi and Han. Going to try to take them out but can't guarantee it will work. Either way, my plan involves destroying the evidence of the extra research you've tasked me with. I haven't found much on the ruins, but I have encoded the info into the seal below.

It has been an honour to serve under you Hiruzen. Give everyone my love.

Shikazu Nara.

Hiruzen's face was as blank as the one that decorated the mountain above as he passed the scroll back to Minato. The two of them sat quietly for a moment, before duty re-asserted itself.

"Jonin Namikaze, how did you come to possess this scroll,"

"Sir, me and my team were returning from a routine C-rank mission when…"

Takanome awoke to the sound of chatter and the sterile white light of a hospital room. His vision resolved from a blur to reveal Heiko laying in a hospital bed opposite his own, blabbering away to the black-haired kid from earlier, with the rest of the two teams scattered around the room. The female member of the other team was the first to notice , who was sitting in an armchair near the window was the first to notice

"How are you feeling Takanome?" she asked, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"That was a pretty bad case of chakra exhaustion, especially coupled with those burns" she continued, genuine concern present in her expression.

"I am feeling well thank you, if I were to be perfectly honest it does not surprise me that I suffered from chakra exhaustion. I have never pushed myself that far in terms of Byakugan use." He replied, hands massaging the lingering soreness from his eyes.

"Well don't do it again white eyes, or you'll have to catch these hands," Heiko raised her bandaged hands in a poor approximation of a gentle fist stance. Evidently channelling that much Yang chakra had taken a toll on her. Takanome was quickly introduced to Team 7, who were around a year older than himself.

"If I may now ask, what exactly happened to you three? Sensei teleported away mid-sentence and then reappeared with you lot two seconds later," this came from Kakashi, who was leaning against the wall next to the door frame. Takanome looked to his teammates in surprise, had they not told them yet?

"We wanted to wait for you to wake up before telling them what happened. Even if we didn't, you were the only one who saw what exactly was going on." Shodo explained quietly, her arm in a sling, likely having fractured it when they were sent flying. Before Takanome could reply a commanding voice caused all the teens to look towards the doorway.

"Actually, I would also like to hear young master Hyuga's report myself." The Third Hokage stepped into the room, closely trailed by the Jonin who had saved them, who Takanome now knew to be called Minato, who took up a place across the door from his student. The Professor took a seat in another of the large armchairs and gestured for Takanome to begin.

"Sir," he said, stuttering slightly. The Hokage himself! He then proceeded to explain the events of that evening and although none of it seemed to surprise Hiruzen, his expression grew darker the longer the tale continued.

"I see…" he said as Takanome finished speaking, gaze transitioning from the youth's pale face to the grid of buildings that stretched out past the window. After a moment of silent contemplation, the 1000-yard stare drained from his eyes and he looked at each member of Team 3 in turn.

"I am extremely impressed with your actions this evening, they have spared this village a lot of hardship. I chose you three as one of the few teams to be stationed in active positions because I had high expectations, but those have definitely been exceeded. Take a few days off, but I would like to see you in my office on Thursday morning at 0800. Now I must take my leave, the village doesn't run itself." With that Sarutobi disappeared from his seat, a faint white and red blur the only indicator he hadn't simply vanished.

"I think we should get going as well team 7, but if any of you three ever need some help, feel free to drop by training ground 7. I'm sorry we had to meet under such negative circumstances" Minato gave a happy wave as he and his charges left the hospital room, leaving Team 3 alone.

"We can't let anything like that happen again." Heiko's solemn declaration was a far cry from her mood not a moment earlier.

"I've never felt so helpless. Even if we took down one guy, all we could do in the end was run…" Shodo was hunched over, her voice barely above a whisper.

"We need to get stronger. If not to defend ourselves, then to defend our home." Takanome's voice was filled with a burning determination.

"But that's the problem isn't it? How are we supposed to learn without someone to teach us?" Shodo's question was a logical one, the whole point of a jonin sensei was to help their students grow. But fate had seemingly robbed them of that luxury.

"I don't know, but we will figure it out, together." Takanome's statement was echoed by his teammates and the three relapsed into a dead silence, until Heiko broke it once again.

"What do you think the Hokage wants with us?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi sneezed as he came out of his body flicker on the top floor of the hospital, reserved for the highest priority patients. He quickly navigated to the room on the northern corner, the door sliding open to admit him. The only occupant of the room sat up on the bed, looking straight at him despite the fact that his eyes were covered with bandages.

"My lord, how may I be of service to you?" Fugaku Uchiha croaky voice was a far cry from its usual smoothness.

"At ease Fugaku, how goes your recovery?" Fugaku relaxed greatly at the order, a smile crossing his previously bleak face.

"Pretty good Hiruzen, Tsunade really is a miracle worker. Other than my eyes, I'm almost back to full capacity and should be discharged in the next couple of days."

"That's great, because I have a proposal for you."

"Sending me out again so soon?"

"Not exactly. Do you understand the effect the lack of available jonin has had on the recent graduates?"

"I do and I don't like where this is going. You're not saddling me with a gaggle of greenhorn genin."

"Ah but that's the thing Fugaku, the team I have in mind aren't exactly green."

Hiruzen explained Team 3's unique situation, both the events of W1 as well as the great potential he saw in them. Fugaku was silent, his face creased in consideration.

"If these kids are as great as you make them out to be Hiruzen, you have piqued my interest. I've always had 101 ways that I thought I could improve on how Jiraiya-sensei taught Minato and I." He paused for moment, evidently running the idea over in his head.

"How about this, I'll administer a test of my own design to see if these kids are all they're cracked up to be, and if they are, I'll take them on as apprentices."

"That would be agreeable to me, be at my office at 7:30 on Thursday. Oh, and one other thing Fugaku."

"Yes?"

"Have you made any progress in discovering the exact nature of the recent… changes with your eyes?"

"I have, Mikoto was kind enough to share with me some information that is usually kept within the head family. Apparently, this phenomenon is called the Mangekyo Sharingan…"

Team 3 was discharged from hospital a couple of days later, with orders to take it easy. They returned home to concerned family members, and subsequently established a schedule of light personal training until found out what was intended for them. Unfortunately, Team 7 was sent out on a mission the next day, and as such they were on their own.

Eventually, Thursday rolled around, and Team 3 found themselves standing outside the Hokage's office, dressed in their combat gear. Shodo announced their presence with three sharp knocks, and a call of "enter" granted them admittance.

The first thing that Takanome noticed when he entered was that another man was sitting in one of the visitor's chair, clad in a standard jonin uniform. With a start he realised it was the ninja he had seen the night before graduation.

"Team 3, thank you for coming." He indicated the black-haired man, who had risen from his seat, steely gaze fixed on the genin.

"This is Jonin Fugaku Uchiha. He was recently seriously injured, as I'm sure you know Takanome," the Hyuga went red at the offhand comment, but the Hokage continued without pause.

"As such he has been temporarily suspended from frontline duties. I suggested to him that he could use the opportunity take you three on as apprentices." The announcement was met by shock, which instantly morphed into joy as smiles split the faces of the three genin.

"Just a moment you three. Lord Hokage has spoken very highly of you, which is the only reason I considered this in the first place. But I'm still going to need you to pass a test," Fugaku's explanation did nothing to dampen the trio's enthusiasm.

"Sir, we will pass any test you give us, and that's a promise," Heiko complemented her announcement with a blinding smile and an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Fugaku's stony exterior broke away to reveal a slight grin.

"Understood, be at training ground 25 in 10 minutes," and with a pop, Fugaku's shadow clone disappeared. Hiruzen smiled at the shocked looks on the genin's faces.

"No time to gawk Team 3, Fugaku is very serious about being punctual."

With a yelp, the three genin rushed out of the room.

Team 3 arrived at the training ground 7 minutes and 37 seconds later, ever so slightly out of breath. They were met with Fugaku standing in the middle of the grassy clearing, situated between a pair of traditional sparring rings. He seemed significantly more relaxed than he had been in the office, weight on one leg, shoulders hunched, hands shoved into the pockets of his flak vest.

"Alright sensei, what's this test involve?" Fugaku tilted his head at Heiko's question, as if it was a difficult maths problem. Then he smiled, and Takanome felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"How about something easy… Let's say, get my hands out of my pockets in the next 30 minutes."

Most genin would he dismiss something so seemingly trivial as beneath them but having seen just how big the gap between them and a jonin was, Team 3 knew better.

"Well come on, you don't have all day," Fugaku taunted, followed by an exaggerated yawn. With quick hand signal from Shodo, Team 3 leaped back into the tree line, using the rustling of the leaves to cover their conversation.

"We need a plan; this won't be as simple as he is making it out to be. This guy is in the bingo book as an A-rank." Shodo said, careful to keep her voice low.

"Then how are we supposed to force him to do anything? He could crush us in an instant," Heiko said, frustration creeping into her tone.

"Maybe that's the point? One can't always bulldoze their problems aside with raw strength." Takanome paused for a moment, ideas whirling within his head. He latched onto one, brought it to the forefront of his mind for examination.

"Sensei was injured recently right?"

"Well yeah, but so what?"

"Everyone has reflexes. If I shine a bright light in your eyes, you'll shield them, right? Especially if they have recently been injured and doubly if your normal fighting style likely revolves around them."

"And how does that… oh… that's not a bad idea."

"But it's the middle of the day! How are we going to make a light contrast bright enough to cancel out the sunlight?"

"My dearest Shodo, leave that to me."

Fugaku was ever so slightly puzzled. It had been a whole 10 minutes and Team 3 hadn't moved from their position in the trees. He was beginning to wonder if these kids were everything, they were cracked up to be. Then, as if spurred on by his thoughts, they scattered, and the onslaught began.

The first attack was a volley of arrows directed at him by Takanome. He weaved through the barrage, barely moving his feet, each projectile whistling past him and into the surrounding forest. He did however have to move when Takanome rushed him down, hands glowing with blue chakra.

The opening attack was a two fingered stab, aimed at his upper right arm, likely intended to cause a spasm. The strike hit only empty air, but Takanome was not deterred, continuing his assault, forcing Fugaku to keep dodging backwards. The Hyuga slowly grew bolder, leaving bigger and bigger openings, culminating in a flying leap with both hands outstretched.

This is definitely a trap. But let's throw them a bone.

Fugaku responded by ducking under Takanome, before instantly straightening his legs, slamming his shoulder into his exposed stomach. As Takanome went flying, he flung a kunai back at the Jonin, which transformed into Shodo with a puff of smoke.

In her hands she held a large piece of sealing paper, inscribed with what looked like a standard storage seal. Fugaku tensed, expecting a barrage of various weapons, but was instead greeted with a wall of icy water. He leaped to the side, resisting the urge to blast the liquid away with a wind jutsu for fear of harming Shodo.

Especially when he saw the distinct shape of a grinning Heiko burst out of the wall of water, both fists glowing with concentrated yang chakra. Fugaku's Sharingan activated almost automatically, crimson eyes ready to predict and counter the apparent lynchpin of their plan, when Heiko's grin grew even wider.

"Sorry sensei, I think this plan might be a bit too brilliant for you." Then, instead of striking Fugaku with her glowing hands, she instead clapped them together, unleashing an eruption of overwhelming radiance.

As the cry of "Yang release: Flashburst" filled his ears, Fugaku instinctively brought his hands up to protect his eyes, Sharingan already half deactivated but still blinded from the attack. Tsunade had been very insistent that he didn't expose them to anything that could damage them until he was cleared for active duty again. A grin split his face however, when he realised he had been played.

"Alright Team 3, you win," Still massaging his eyes with his hands. He was greeted with a trio of cheers, as the three genin clustered around him.

"Sorry sensei, did I hurt you?" Heiko's concern was genuine. Fugaku simply waved her off.

"I'm fine, but that was a good plan. Exploiting the fact that I had been injured recently and that I was likely to activate my Sharingan in response to a high-level attack." He drew his hands away from his face, and gave his new students a wide smile.

"Now then, why don't we learn something."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Team 3's next two months were spent in intense training with Fugaku. Oh and D-Rank missions, far too D-ranks for anyone's many for anyone's liking. Their new teacher was initially somewhat distant to his new students, but quickly warmed up to them.

The primary focus of their training was improving chakra control, and getting Takanome and Shodo started on Nature transformation. Although their affinities of wind and water respectively didn't match up with Fugaku's mastery of earth, lightning and fire, the Uchiha has copied enough techniques over the years to have plenty to show them.

However, another somewhat unorthodox training method Fugaku used was his strong focus on mediation, with them spending at least two hours doing so each day, much to Heiko's very vocal annoyance.

However, the more they trained the harder Takanome found it to mediate. It seemed that whenever he reached a proper trance, body completely still, he began to feel somewhat strange. It always disappeared after a moment or two, but it was still frustrating. Takanome mentioned it to Fugaku after a particularly strong episode had left him feeling queasy, and his sensei had looked at him with an expression he couldn't place.

"Takanome, do me a favour. If you ever feel the way for more than a few seconds, move your body. It doesn't matter how slight, you can even just twitch your pinky toe. Just don't stay still, got it?" Fugaku's voice was deadly serious and Takanome could only nod in response.

It was also during this time that Takanome discovered what exactly was wrong with Shodo's chakra network, when Fugaku asked her to elaborate on the brief explanation in her file during one of their post-training stretches.

"When I was very young, I got extremely sick. As in, on the edge of death sick. I eventually recovered, but the illness had stunted the growth of my chakra network. I'd wanted to be a ninja, but it seemed as though that dream had been taken from me. That was, until I found a book on sealing in the Library. So after teaching myself fuinjutsu, I inscribed chakra storage seals onto my body over a couple of my inner gates to act as "extensions" to my chakra system." Shodo explained, much to her teammates interest.

"Shodo, you did this unsupervised and without consulting a sealing expert at the age of….?" It was difficult to tell if Fugaku's tone was one of praise or worry.

"I was 9 at the time," she replied, seemingly not thinking much of it.

"Damn girl, are you sure you're not an Uzumaki?" Heiko's statement echoed what the others were thinking. Did Heiko's even realise how impressive what she had done was?

"Positive."

"Well next time you decide to do something that ambitious, let me know and I'll get you in touch with a sealing expert." Fugaku said,

"Who? If you don't mind me asking sensei?"

"Well considering my own sensei, my best friend, and my wife's best friend are three of the best sealers in Konoha, I'd say I'm spoiled for choice." The three genin nodded, before they replayed that sentence once more in their heads.

"You're married!" Heiko exclaimed, although Takanome was more interested in who the unarmed parties might be. He had some suspicious on who Fugaku's sensei was, and he very much hoped he was right.

"Happily for the last 3 years. I'm actually seeing the three sealers in about an hour for dinner, so I need to be on my way." He slowly rose from his cossack and turned to leave the training ground.

"Wait sensei! Can you show them this when you see them! I need feedback on it, they'll know what it is." Heiko dashed over to where she had left her satchel against a tree at the edge of the clearing. She rummaged around inside for a short while before returning with a sealing tag inside an envelope.

"Not an issue Heiko. I'll see you three tomorrow morning, usual time." With a wave Fugaku body flicked away, arriving at the edge of the Uchiha compound. He strolled his way through the collection of houses, giving a wave or sharing a quick conversation with various members of his clan, before arriving at the Head's House.

"I'm home!" he called as he walked in the door, removing his shoes and stepping into the empty living room.

"I'm in my office!" Mikoto called from down the hall, followed a moment later by the sound of Itachi's racing down the hallway as fast as his three year old legs could carry him. A quick hugging session later, Fugaku carried his son back down the hallway to the Clan Head's office. Mikoto had temporarily suspended herself from active duty, instead opting to focus on both raising Itachi, and stopping the clan from falling apart in the middle of a war.

"How was your day?" Mikoto asked, glancing up from the paperwork she and two shadow clones were currently doing, the original's Sharingan deactivating as Fugaku leaned in for a quick kiss.

"Fine, my students are quickly becoming more and more of a headache."

"Oh dear, Heiko giving you lip again?"

"Actually no, in fact, Heiko stressed me out the least today."

"Really? The other two don't seem like the type to talk back."

"Oh they aren't, it's something else. I'll explain at dinner."

"Sure, speaking of which, I'm going to go shower and change. Is your dad still good for tonight?"

"Honey, I'm pretty sure my father would rather watch the village burn down than miss out on babysitting Itachi."

"I don't want the village to burn down," Itachi interrupted quietly, his arms tightening around Fugaku's neck.

"Neither do we Itachi," Mikoto confirmed, before leaving the room. The other two members of the family swiftly followed, although they headed in the opposite direction down the hallway. The two played in the living room for a short while, before Fugaku subbed out to go get changed when Mikoto reappeared.

A few minutes later, three sharp knocks echoed on the door, Fugaku opening it to reveal the smiling form of Kagami Uchiha. The three adults chatted for a bit, before leaving behind the living legend to fuss over his grandson.

As the two of them emerged into the cold evening air, Mikoto glanced over at her husband, a grin splitting her face.

"I feel like I need to stretch my legs a bit, race you to the restaurant?" she suggested, trying to stretch out the tightness from sitting at a desk all day.

"Sure, we're running a little late anyway." If they moved at civilian speeds, it would take them around 30 mins to walk to the restaurant. But these two were anything but civilians.

"On my mark, three two one… go!" Two sets of glowing red eyes pierced the cool evening air, as a pair of Jonin shot through the streets of Konoha, their passing only betrayed by a rush of wind. Fugaku initially managed to pull ahead, until Mikoto really put the gas on, sending bursts of flame backwards from her hands to propel her. They arrived at the restaurant only slightly out of breath, Mikoto pumping her fist in celebration.

As they made their way inside, their were directed to a private room at the back of the establishment, where Jiraiya, Kushina and Minato were already waiting. Pleasantries were exchanged, drinks were poured and food was ordered. When it arrived, the topic of conversation shifted to Minato's genin team.

"I'm thinking of recommending Kakashi for Jonin," Minato mused, as he nibbled on some rice.

"Really? How old's the kid now?" Jiraiya asked, words slurring slightly due to the abundance of sake he had consumed.

"13, even though he acts like he's 30. He's certainly got the skills for it."

"Maybe wait a little longer Minato, but broach the idea at the next jonin council meeting?" Mikoto suggested, to which the rest of the table agreed. Well, considering a bit less than half of the Jonin council was currently in the room, waiting was a bit of a moot point.

"In any case, I wanna hear about Fugaku's team. I'm still pretty gobsmacked Hiruzen managed to saddle you with teaching, injured or not." Kushina managed to get all this across even with a full mouth, much to her friend's amusement.

"To be honest, I've actually been quite impressed. They were already some of the most talented genin I've seen, and these last couple of weeks have been really good for them."

"I'm not surprised that Riku's daughter would be so impressive, but the other two as well? Lucky you." Jiraiya commented, and the others nodded in agreement.

"Heiko is definitely the most generally skilled, but it seems as though Takanome and Shodo might possess some highly useful specialities.

"Takanome is an archer right? I remember seeing him with a bow when I rescued them."

"He is, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm reasonably sure the kid is accidently taking in nature energy during our mediation sessions."

"Ha ha, very funny Fugaku." Jiraiya smile morphed into an expression of shock when he realised his former student wasn't joking.

"What the hell, you're telling me this kid's taking in nature energy _accidently?_"

"Yes."

"Have you tested his sensitivity?" Minato questioned, also surprised at this claim.

"Well you;ve seemingly forgoten that I can't, I have not. Perhaps our two squads can meet up tomorrow and you could do it then..."

"Sure, I'll bring mine over to training ground 25 tomorrow morning."

"Damn Fugaku, you might have a natural sage on your hands. Let me know how it works out tomorrow."

"I will."

"And Shodo? You mentioned she had a specialised skill as well." Kushina commented,

Fugaku explained Shodo extreme natural talent for sealing, much to the shock of the assembled Jonin. Minato actually had to reach over and close Kushina mouth to stop it from hanging open.

"Oh she also gave me this, I took a look at it earlier but couldn't make much sense of it, she said you three should be able to figure it out, wanted feedback on it." He pulled the seal Shodo had given him out of his pocket and slid it across the table, and the three sealing masters began to inspect it, mumbling amongst themselves as Kushina traced the design with her finger. After about a minute of whispered discussion, Jiraiya looked up at Fugaku.

"Fugaku, your student has managed to construct what looks like an automatic chakra filter and attach it to a viable universal chakra bridge."

"That… is extremely impressive. That could have serious applications in medical ninjutsu, couldn't it?"

"Yes, it basically does away with the need for the mystical palm technique, you could basically just pump chakra into the seal and convert it to yang chakra..." Jiraiya began to explain, before Mikoto's eyes widened, as though a Ryo coin has just dropped in her head.

"Couldn't you also draw it onto your body and use it to apply a nature transformation you don't have control over?" Kushina immediately shook her head in response.

"The seal isn't stable enough to cope with the volatile chakra channeling present in combat, as it requires a very specific flow rate in order to work, and seal drawn directly onto the body can be destabilised by movement of the skin or injury. But theoretically if you stabilize it sufficiently, yes it could be used for that purpose." Fugaku was always struck at how Kushina's whole demeanour seemed to change whenever she got onto the topic of sealing, her bubbly disposition and verbal tics draining away into a calm and focused sealing master, likely the most adept in the world.

"I might have to swing past your training sometime and check out these students myself. Unfortunately, I'm heading out for a mission tomorrow morning. I'll let you know when I get back." Jiraiya said, the Toad Sage having seemingly been sobered up by his shock. He glanced around the room for a moment, his good mood temporarily vanishing.

"One more thing Fugaku, how has is your understanding of your new ability progressing?"

Fugaku merely smiled, his eyes morphing into a swirling vortex of black and red.

**A/N: Hey everyone, it's been a while hasn't it? Sorry for the long wait, had a lot of irl stuff going on and kinda lost my inspiration for this fic. But I've got it back now, so expect more content in the near future. Also sorry for this pretty exposition filled chapter, but stuff will pick up soon, but I quite enjoyed doing a bit of fluff. If you've got any suggestions or criticisms, don't hesitate to review. I'm also looking for a beta reader, so if you're interested and don't mind being me bouncing ideas off you, pm me!**

**Thanks again!**

**Unicorn out**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Fugaku had a surprise waiting for Team 3 the next morning at training, in the form of Team 7 and Minato.

"Good morning Team 3, today we are going to be running joint exercises with Team 7. You'll be doing some one on one sparring. Team 7 are more experienced than you, so be open to their advice, but don't hesitate to give some in return. A good ninja can always learn something from any opponent. Minato and I will be doing some training of our own, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask." Fugaku explained, before he and Minato moved over to the other side of the clearing. Takanome ended up being paired with Obito, and the two took their places in one of the sparring rings that littered the training ground. They started slowly moving through some traditional warm up kata at the older ninja's suggestion. They continued like this in silence for a few minutes, before Obito spoke up.

"So Takanome, how's your training been going? Glad you guys found a sensei, especially one as good as Fugaku." Takanome was somewhat surprised at Obito's attempt to make conversation in the middle of a sparring match, but he appreciated that his opponent was making an effort to try to form a connection. Seemed to be more than Kakashi was doing with Heiko, that was for sure.

"It has been going quite well Obito, thank you asking. Fugaku is indeed an excellent Sensei, his training has been highly comprehensive, especially in the field of ninjutsu. I've made some good progress on my use of Wind Style recently in particular."

"Great! But I thought Hyuga usually refrained from using nature transformation?" Takanome cringed slightly at this question, remembering how angry Himura had been when Takanome had broached the subject at dinner one evening. It had taken the efforts of both of the clan head's children to talk him down from outlawing Takanome from continuing his training in nature transformation.

"That is the case, but personally, and do not tell anyone I said this, I find the Hyuga clan's customs on what clan members can and cannot learn to be idiotic. The Byakugan is one of the most potent tools any ninja could possess, yet it's potential is squandered by limiting its use to purely the gentle fist. Like how would you feel if you were told that you could only use your Sharingan to gain better perception, and not copy jutsu?" Anger crept into Takanome's voice as he went on, years of anger at the structure of the Hyuga clan starting to break through his carefully constructed filters. Obito just dropped his head slightly, a pained smile breaking his face as they continued their movements.

"Well considering I don't have a Sharingan yet, it wouldn't really affect me, but I can see why it would make you so angry." Takanome went pale as he realised that he'd accidently hit what seemed to be a sore point.

"I apologise profusely Obito, I didn't realise…" he stopped as Obito held up a hand, his usual grin having returned.

"Don't worry about it, my time will come soon enough. Plus, I made Chunin without it, so that says good things about me right? Anyway, you can make up for insulting me by showing off some of that Wind Style." The ghost of a smile crept back onto Takanome's face as they broke off their kata and adopted positions at either end of the sparring ring.

Takanome was the first to make a move, dashing forward with his palms outstretched, aiming to end the match with a few decisive strikes. Obito leaped backwards, not wanting to engage a Hyuga in close quarters while they were still fresh. However, Takanome had been counting on this, and flashed through a few quick hands seals, before clapping his hands together.

"Wind Style: Gale Palm!" he yelled, the focused blast of air he generated aiming to knock Obito out of the ring while he couldn't brace himself using the ground. The Uchiha responded with a quick blast of flame from his mouth, using the kickback to launch himself over the malicious current of wind. The two elements mixed together, creating a fireball that blinded Takanome. He instinctively activated his Byakugan, just in time to spot the gleaming shapes of a trio of kunai approaching him from the front. Three precise gentle fist strikes knocked the projectiles from the air.

Takanome was then forced to spin around, as Obito leaped up out of the smoke cloud and over his head, landing behind him, the Uchiha's hands deftly weaving a series of well practiced signs.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball!" Obito's yell was quickly drowned out by the roar of the inferno he had summoned, the stream of flames quickly bearing down on Takanome. The Hyuga pushed his chakra to his feet, using a burst of wind to leap over the oncoming blaze, drawing his bow mid-air. He nocked an arrow at the zenith of his jump, aiming for only a moment before letting it fly, the storage seal on its head glowing brightly. Obito cartwheeled out of the way of the projectile, but was cut by the blades of wind that erupted from the arrowhead upon impact with the ground. He let out a short yelp as he landed back on his feet, giving himself as split second once over.

The attack had barely cut his clothes, but it had been completely unexpected, leaving him a little flustered. Now was one of the many times where he really wished his Sharingan would just manifest already, being able to see chakra was an invaluable skill against an unknown opponent. He didn't hesitate for more than a moment however, drawing another kunai as he dashed towards Takanome's projected landing point, the younger ninja slinging his bow back over his shoulder as he approached the ground.

Obito slashed at Takanome as he began to roll into his landing, slicing his left arm with a long thin cut, the blood from the wound staining his opponent's white jacket. Takanome winced, and tried to back off, but Obito was relentless, drawing a second kunai to create a constant wall of slashing attacks that he could only dodge for fear of injuring his hands.

As they entered into a rhythm of attack and dodge, Takanome began to search for an opening in Obito's offence, any tiny chink his onslaught of strikes. He pushed his perspective out, seeking any advantage he could find.

**There!**

As the Uchiha brought his left arm down for an overhead attack, his right moved back due to the pivoting of his body to increase his reach. Takanome took the opening, weaving past the overhead strike and moving in to disable Obito's arm with a gentle fist strike to his shoulder. His blow was anticipated however, and Obito reversed his grip on the left kunai, aiming to plunge it into Takanome's back as he brought it towards himself. Takanome saw this with his Byakugan, and abandoned his attack in an attempt to dodge Obito's own.

However, before he could, his vision was instantly taken over by a flash of bright green, and his whole body seized up, before dropping to the ground as he went limp. Takanome gasped for breath as he regained control of his muscles, which quickly morphed into a coughing fit, as he rolled over onto his back.

"Takanome! You okay? What happened?" Obito's tone was one of genuine concern, as he dropped to his knees beside his comrade. He flinched as he felt a hand of his back, looking back to see Minato standing over him, the man's eyes yellow with slitted pupils. Fugaku moved out from behind his old teammate, and reached down to help his own student up.

Takanome took the outstretched hand and pulled himself up, dusting the dirt off from himself. He glanced over at Minato, feeling a strange sort of… _presence _emanating from the Jonin, a feeling only exacerbated by his strange eyes and markings. A moment later they faded, and the presence disappearing along with it. The blond grinned sheepishly at Takanome, rubbing the back of his head with one hand.

"Sorry about that Takanome, I was just testing your senjutsu sensitivity. I didn't expect you to react so violently."

"Senjutsu? What's that sensei?" Obito asked, racking his brains for any information on this mysterious jutsu type.

"Nothing you need to worry about Obito. How about we let Minato and Takanome chat for a bit, and I'll teach you the Phoenix Flower?" Fugaku suggested, knowing full well that enticing his distant cousin with a new technique would draw his interest away.

"Seriously! Of course, let's go!" The two Uchiha moved to the other side of the training ground, away from the where the other pairs were still sparring normally, seemingly having not noticed the interruption.

"So what exactly happened there Sensei? And what were those weird markings on your face?" Takanome asked, having never heard of anything like it.

"Take a seat, this might take a while to explain." The blond jonin gestured to the ground, and the two of them sunk into a cross legged position. Minato seemed to think for a moment, as if trying to decode a complex cypher in his mind. After a moment he looked Takanome in the eye, and pushed the young genin onto the first step in a long path.

"Do you understand the components of chakra?"

"Of course, it's a mix of the body's spiritual and physical energy."

"Correct. Sage Chakra is when a ninja introduces a third component into the mix, that being natural energy."

"Natural energy? What's that?" Takanome was becoming insatiably curious, as a whole new world opened up before him.

"The life energy of nature, that flows all around us, in the sea, the sky, the grass, the ground, everywhere there is life, there is nature energy. If one can learn to take in this natural energy, you can add it to your internal chakra mix, creating sage chakra, which can be used for senjutsu techniques. Unfortunately, this ability is extremely difficult, and only a handful of ninja in history have been able to do so."

"Why are you telling me this?" Of course Takanome had his suspicions, but he wanted to confirm them before he got his hopes up.

"It seems you have the gift Takanome, and judging by how strongly you reacted to my Sage Pulse, I'd say you're going to be pretty gosh darn good at it." Takanome's face broke out into a wide grin, one he made no effort to suppress. As dozens of questions tumbled over in his head, his training brought one to the forefront. Whenever a ninja gains a new advantage or ability, they must make the utmost effort to understand exactly what it could do.

"What are the benefits to using senjutsu sensei?" he asked, now somewhat reining in his enthusiasm for fear of acting unprofessional.

"Well the main benefit is the technique you saw me do earlier, that being Sage Mode. Sage Mode occurs when one's ratio of natural energy to their physical and spiritual energy is perfect. It results in a dramatic increase in all physical attributes, especially physical strength and sensory perception. In addition, all of a user's regular jutsu are granted a senjutsu "boost" of sorts, giving them far beyond their regular power."

Minato continued to explain the intricacies of the sage arts, Takanome listening in total rapture, only occasionally interrupting to ask questions. By the time he had reached the end of the explanation, the other pairs had finished their sparring matches and swapped partners, while Fugaku and Obito continued to practice fire jutsu at the other end of the training ground, Obito seemingly having begun to use the Phoenix Flower technique. One major question still held center stage in Takanome's brain.

"Can you teach me how to use senjutsu Sensei?"

"No." With that single word, all of the joy and enthusiasm built up over half an hour rushed out of Takanome, leaving him to slump into a depressive state.

"But, you can probably find someone else who can teach you how." Takanome perked back up at that, but confusion was once more the dominant emotion in his mind.

"But I thought you said only a handful of other ninja in history had gained the ability?"

"Exactly, _ninja_. Almost every single human sage learnt how to use their abilities from one of the summoning animal clans, to whom senjutsu comes as easily as breathing. You simply have to find a clan willing to accept you as a Summoner, and eventually as a student of their sage arts."

"But how can I do that when Hyuga are outlawed from using summons?"

"Well Takanome, you're just going to have to choose what is more important to you, the traditions of your clan, or your future as a ninja, and with it the future of this village. Jiraiya-sensei and I are the only two living sages I know of, and to be perfectly honest, we both find the ability difficult to apply in combat. You have the potential to use the ability to its fullest, and a shinobi of that caliber would be an immense asset to the Hidden Leaf."

Takanome struggled with this idea as Minato walked over to the sparring Genin and Chunin, leaving the Hyuga to grapple with the direction of his future. He'd have to consult with Hizashi and Hiashi… no their opinions would be far too biased. The same would be true for Fugaku, albeit in the opposite direction. He didn't have anyone to turn so it seemed. He glanced up to see Shodo blasting Kakashi with a stream of water, while Rin showed Heiko the basics of the Mystical Palm technique on the other side of the training ground.

Takanome sighed, but a smile soon returned to his face. He did have someone to talk to. Two someones in fact.

About 3 hours later, the ninja ceased training in favour of a short lunch break. The eight of them formed a circle, the two Jonin recalling their escapades as young students under Jiraiya for the group's entertainment. After one particularly interesting story about two pots of glue, a squad of enemy ninja and three kilograms of high explosives, Shodo broached a subject that had been bugging her since they first met Team 7.

"Minato-sensei, you never did explain how you saved us from those Stone ninja."

"Yeah how _did _you do that?" Heiko asked, equally puzzled about the situation. Minato grinned, and pulled one of the strange kunai he used from his belt pouch.

"The technique I use is known as the Flying Thunder God jutsu. It was initially developed during the Warring States period by Tobirama Senju, as a countermeasure to the Sharingan. It allows the user to place special seals on any solid surface and later teleport to the immediate vicinity of that seal. Personally, I mostly apply seals to these kunai." He raised the handle up for them to see. Shodo's eyes lit up as she inspected the intricate formula, simultaneously in awe and puzzled as she tried to discern the tiny script built into the characters of the seal.

After a while of holding it up, Minato just dropped the kunai into Shodo's lap. She looked up in surprise, moving to give him the weapon back. The Jonin raised his hand in response.

"Keep it. Lord Second intentionally made the formula harder to decipher. He also told Lord Third before he died that if any Leaf ninja could figure out how it worked, they were welcome to the technique. You can request a copy of his original seal from the Konoha Library in addition to studying my own. Although, don't expect to make quick progress, this is an extremely difficult technique after all."

Shodo mumbled a quick thanks, now seemingly blind and deaf to anything but the challenge in front of her. The continued noise from around her faded away, brain tumbling over itself as she examined the linework of the seal.

Just as they finished lunch, Minato, Fugaku and Kakashi's heads jerked up, their hands moving towards their weapons. A moment later, an ANBU operative body-flickered into the training ground, coming to rest in a kneeling pose in front of the two Jonin. The symbol on his shoulder identified him as a member of the Hokage's bodyguard, which put the group on edge. It was highly unusual for them to be see out of the man's immediate presence, except in emergencies.

"The Hokage requires your presence, Jonin Namikaze, Jonin Uchiha. Preferably as soon as possible," the ninja's cat mask distorted their voice, but that didn't stop the message from coming across loud and clear. Hiruzen needed them urgently. The Two Jonin snapped perfect salutes as the ANBU vanished.

Minato and Fugaku exchanged a flurry of small hand gestures, their faces betraying minute hints of confusion and worry, before turning to face their students. The Uchiha addressed the two teams, his voice bereft of the mirth it had held minutes earlier.

"We are needed elsewhere. Your time is your own until the end of the day, do us both a favour and use it productively." The Genin and Chunin nodded in acknowledgement, all of them somewhat confused as to what was going on. Fugaku placed a hand on Minato's shoulder, the pair winking out of existence. A moment later Heiko turned to the rest of the group, her usual grin once more afixed to her face.

"Sooooo, what's people's plans," she asked, and the words had barely left her mouth before Shodo answered with a mumble.

"Library." And with that, the auburn haired girl jetted off in the direction of the Konoha Library.

"I will join her. I need to do some research on a specific topic." Takanome said as he took off after Shodo, although with a little less single mindedness.

"Well I'm sure my dad wouldn't mind helping me out with some clan stuff, so catch you later team 7!" Heiko disappeared with a wave, leaving the 3 Chunin alone.

"Gonna swing by the hospital, see if they need any help. You two don't cause too much trouble while I'm gone okay?"

"See yah Rin!" Obito yelled as the brunette left the clearing, Kakashi merely giving a small wave. The two rivals glanced at each other, tension filling the air.

"Wanna spar?" Obito asked, his tone of voice telling Kakashi that the Uchiha expected rejection, and he very nearly did brush him off. But Kakashi thought back to how much Obito had been improving recently. Plus, he seemed to be in top condition today, if what he had seen earlier this morning was anything to go off.

"Sure. First to three contacts wins?"

"Another time then… Wait what? I mean, okay yeah, let's go!"

Minato and Fugaku arrived outside the Hokage's office to find the Sanin standing in a tight circle, talking quietly amongst themselves. Jiraiya broke off from the group to walk over to his former students, leaving Tsunade and Orochimaru to continue the conversation.

"Sensei, do you have any idea of what's going on?" Minato asked, to which Jiraiya nodded, an unusually serious expression covering his face..

"I had an extremely strong suspicion, that has been confirmed by your arrival my wonderful students. However! I cannot speak of it until we get inside, the old man will explain." It was at that moment that Hirzuen's call of "Enter" came from within the office, the five Jonin admitting themselves to find the Hokage sitting at his desk, a heavily inked scroll open in front of him.

"Follow me," he said, directing the party to one of the side rooms of the office, a small meeting room usually used for greeting foreign dignitaries. As they sat down at the table, Hiruzen clapped his hands twice, extremely strong privacy seals flickering to life along the walls and ceiling. He glanced at his former students before fixing his gaze on Minato and Fugaku.

"I am sure you are wondering why exactly I asked you here. To put it simply, you two have been recommended to attend an S-class exam."

"An S-class exam? But there is no exam for that title, it is either applied to extremely dangerous rouge nin, or gained by loyal ninja through international respect." Fugaku responded, Minato nodding in agreement.

"It seems as though your students have forgotten that the ninja world is one full of lies and half truths Jiraiya." Orochimaru commented, his eyes gleaming with mirth.

"Indeed, although to be fair, we didn't see through this lie either."

"He's got you there." Tsunade's comment earned her a glare from the snake summoner.

"Hold on, what exactly does Lord Orochimaru mean Lord Third? Is there more to the S-class title than we thought?" Minato questioned, still puzzled by the Sanin's words

"Indeed. The true nature of the S-class title was born in the First Treaty of Iron, as laid out by the second generation of Kage. The idea was masterminded by Tobirama-sensei, who aimed to use it as a mechanism for defence against threats to the continent as a whole, and as a way for the villages to gain additional funding from their Daimyos." Hiruzen paused for a moment as he considered how to properly continue his explanation.

"Every 7 years the Ninja villages send in recommendations to their Daimyo for S-class promotions. If enough get approved, the candidates are taken to a secret facility high in the Mountains of Iron to be evaluated by the 5 Kage. The Daimyo then reward their villages based on what percentage of candidates pass, encouraging them to only submit recommendations for those they know have an extremely high chance of passing. A ninja can only be recommended by at least 1 already S-class ninja, preferably not their own Kage, although additional recommendations increase the likelihood of approval."

"I see, so I would assume we have been recommended?" Minato replied, still reeling slightly from the fact that such an immense secret had been kept from the vast majority of ninja. Although, it made sense that the elite of the elite could pull off such an impressive feat.

"Indeed, each S-ranked ninja can recommend up to two other ninja per cycle, and the three of us recommended the both of you." Jiraiya gave his former students a big smile, much to the exasperation of his old teammates.

"Thank you very much, all three of you," Fugaku said, and both he and Minato rose to their feet in order to bow to the Sanin.

"So when are the exams, what are the logistics surrounding them?" Minato asked as they sat back down.

"The exams are scheduled for 2 months from now, and the event will be disguised as Peace talks for the war, although I will make an actual attempt to try and quell the fighting. You two will accompany me as my "guards," and you will be reviewed once we reach there. In regards to your teams, I have put forward the idea of masking the S-class exams with a Chunin exam in the land of iron, which your team may attend if you wish Fugaku. Minato, unfortunately your team will have to stay behind because they are Chunin already, so they will have to function without your supervision. Any other questions?"

"No sir," the candidates chorused. Following that, the group discussed a few more less important topics relating to the war effort, before Hiruzen stood, indicating that they all do so as well.

"In that case, you are dismissed. If you have any further questions, contact any one of us. Otherwise, do not speak of this to anyone who is not themselves an S-class ninja." With a wave of the Hokage's hand, the assembled Jonin vanished from the room. Hiruzen went back to his desk, staring at the message that had been deposited on his desk by a tiny chameleon just before the message from the Land of Iron about the S-rank exams. The characters at the top had been what truly shocked him, as he had never seen anything like this since he became Hokage over 30 years ago.

_Request to Join the Hidden Leaf Village_

**A/N: Well I wonder who that could be? In any case, I hope you guys enjoyed the longest chapter yet, even if it was a bit worldbuilding/dialogue heavy. The whole S-rank exams thing was originally a lot more convoluted (like I'm talking sealing robots and soul binding), but with some help from the r/NarutoFanfiction discord, I've trimmed it down to its current state. In any case, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review!**

**Unicorn out!**

**P.S Still looking for a Beta Reader, pm if you're interested.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Takanome was currently reading a book on summoning. Or at least trying to read a book on summoning. Turns out, reading is hard when someone sitting across the table is constantly mumbling about space-time, scribbling notes and saying some very unflattering words about Tobirama Senju. He glanced at Shodo, his teammate the epicentre of a maelstrom of blank paper, open book, and, most importantly, the pair of intricate formulas positioned right in front of her.

"Have you made any progress?" He asked her, anxious to try and distract himself from his current dilemma.

"No thanks Takanome, we just ate," was the reply, which he took as a no. This was the third time this exchange exchange had been completed in as many hour, so Takanome finally decided that maybe he should just leave Shodo alone and concentrate on his own problems. He returned his attention to his own book, which was currently detailing the process of signing a contract.

Before he could make any more progress, the door was kicked open. The two ninja leaped out of their seats, Takanome's Byakugan flaring alongside Shodo's glowing seals. They landed in combat stances facing the door to the small study room they had booked...

Only to see Heiko standing in the doorway grinning, a tray of four take-away cups held in her hands.

"Wow guys, so excited to see me?" Her grin elicited an eye roll from both teammates, but their expressions quickly relaxed into small smiles as the group sat down once more, the newcomer distributing green tea from the tray. It was one of the few tastes the three had in common and it had become something of a tradition to get after training. The fourth cup wasn't normal, but Heiko was probably just extra thirsty today. Or was she expecting someone else...

"So, how's it going with the FTG Shodo?" Heiko asked after taking a sip of scalding hot tea.

"FTG?" Shodo looked slightly puzzled, as she sipped a slightly colder beverage.

"You know, Flying Thunder God. I mean, it's a real mouthful to say, so I thought it could do with an acronym."

"Heiko I don't mean to rain on your parade… but aren't you the one who insists on developing long flowery names for all of our combinations?"

"Well yeah, but that's different…"

"Oh really, how so?"

"I don't mean to be rude, but can I talk to you two about something?" The two girls flinched slightly as they stared at Takanome, before nodding. The Hyuga never interrupted people, so if he was doing it now, it had to be something important.

Takanome explained to the girls the basics of senjutsu, and the conflict of duty he was currently experiencing. The two glanced at each other, Heiko the first one to speak, her tone all business.

"Takanome, as a clan heir, I fully understand where you are coming from, but at least in my family, duty to your village comes before duty to the clan. If your uncle has lost sight of that, then he will have to lose a valuable ninja."

Takanome opened his mouth to speak, to try to offer some logical rebuttal to Heiko's argument, but he came up empty. Shodo took the opportunity to speak her mind, to try to appeal to the emotional angle.

"Takanome, you made a promise to both us and yourself. A promise that you would gain the strength to defend your home. This is that strength Takanome. So take it."

"I know that but… I don't want to be kicked out of my clan? Where will I live?"

"You can sleep at my house, we've got plenty of space. Or you could apply for your own apartment through the village system." Shodo reached over the table and put her hand on top of Takanome's. He just sat there for a moment, mind turned totally onwards. Then, a voice seemed to echo from empty space.

"You seemed to have forgotten the central tenant of the Will of Fire Takanome. The village is your family." Fugaku smiled as he stepped out of seemingly thin air. Takanome was even more shocked then his teammates that their sensei had randomly appeared, but that wasn't the only thing he noticed... Interesting that he was watching.

"But I had my Byakugan on, how did you…" Takanome stopped as Fugaku smiled and shook his head. The Jonin reached down and took the last cup of green tea before replying.

"Takanome, I figured out how to evade the Byakugan long ago. I'm not the best genjutsu user in Konoha for nothing. But back to the topic at hand. I understand the fact that you probably think me too biased to properly assist you in making this decision, but I'm going to give you advice anyway. Take this opportunity, and if there are any consequences, I will do my absolute best to shield you from them. The Hyuga may be one of the greatest clans in this village, but you will have the might of the Uchiha behind you, and that is a promise."

Takanome was once again quiet for a moment, before he rose from his chair, facing his team.

_Why is this so hard? _He thought, _How long have I hated the ways of my clan, how my path in life has been chosen purely by the circumstances of my birth? This is my opportunity to choose my path. _

Takanome straightened up from his hunch and glared into seemingly empty space past Fugaku's head, eyes blazing in their sockets. The spatial distortion of a remote Byakugan viewing stared back at him.

"Uncle Himura, I am going to study the path of a sage, and there is nothing you can do to stop me. The traditions of the Hyuga clan hold not only themselves back from becoming the best ninja they can be, they hold the village as a whole back by doing so. As a follower of the Will of Fire, that is not something I will abide by any longer. Thank you for your kindness to me, but this is the path I choose. My own." Takanome smiled, but internally he was bracing himself, ready for the pain he was sure that would come.

And come it did.

Takanome dropped to the floor, screaming in agony as his caged bird seal was activated. It was like someone had shoved an icicle into his brain, a spear of burning frost wiping out all rational thought. He had endured the horrible pain for a few seemingly eternal moments, when his vision was filled with a flash of red.

Then he saw only black.

Fugaku Uchiha was pissed.

Himura, the slimy bastard, had obviously decided the best way to show his displeasure was to reduce his nephew to a screaming wreck. He had noticed the Byakugan distortion earlier, but he hadn't expected the situation to devolve this much. Resisting the urge to head straight to the Hyuga compound and drive his fist through the man's gut, he strode over to Takanome. Fugaku picked him up by the collar and made eye contact, his Sharingan spinning like a crimson whirlpool. A moment later, the genjutsu took effect, Takanome unable to resist its knockout effect while in such a state.

The Genin stopped screaming as his body went limp, the seal on his forehead flickering and going out, unable to function with its bearer's current state.

Fugaku turned to look at his two other charges, standing there with looks of concern plastered on their faces.

"Get Takanome to the hospital now, tell them that he has received chakra-based brain trauma and that I've placed him in a second grade genjutsu coma as a preventative measure." They shook themselves free from their shock and bounded out of the room, Heiko carrying Takanome bridal style.

Fugaku took a moment to center himself, then body flickered to the gate of Hyuga compound. The guard standing out front held up a hand to stop him, but a mere glance sent the man into a glassy eyed state.

He continued towards the clan head's house, but was stopped by two more guards, both in identical gentle fist stances. Fugaku prepared to disable them as well, but a commanding voice from the clan head's garden made them all pause.

"Let him through."

The guards glared at Fugaku as he walked past into the garden. Standing at the center was the locus of his rage, staring calmly into a koi pond. Fugaku opened his mouth to speak, but Himura interrupted him.

"Takanome is no longer welcome here. I allowed him more flexibility than most of the clan, and I see the folly in that decision now. I may have overlooked this, but the boy decided to insult the clan in the same breath as his childish rebellion. If he enters the clan compound ever again, I will end his miserable life. He is no longer a member of this clan." Fugaku took a few deep breaths, drawing in his rage until it was a tightly contained core at the center of his being. He sighed and shook his head.

"That "boy" is far more of a man than you'll ever be." He disappeared before Himura could respond.

Takanome came to in the hospital about three hours later to the worried faces of Teams 3 and 7. He sat up slowly, massaging his forehead, the ghost of the mind rending pain still in his skull.

"I really messed that one up didn't I?" he tried to inject some level of humour into his voice, but it was no use. Fugaku relayed what Himura had told him, none of which shocked him.

"How are you feeling though? Emotionally and physically?" Shodo asked,a sentiment echoed by the rest of the room.

"Physically I'm okay, but emotionally I'm most definitely not. I need some time to process all of this, even though I somewhat expected it. Alone, if that's okay." Numerous noises of protest were made, but a pleading look from Takanome forced them to acquiesce. As they filled out of the room, Obito glanced back, and before anyone could stop him, rushed back to give Takanome a bone crushing hug.

"We're here for you, remember that." Takanome could only nod as he was left alone to the silence of the hospital room, white eyes stinging with tears.

Fugaku came home about an hour later after giving a report to the Hokage. He immediately collapsed into his wife's arms, exhausted from the day's trials. They were alone that evening, as Itachi was sleeping over at his sister's house, probably all snuggled up with Shisui. So he was able to explain the whole situation without holding back on the cursing. By the end, he was sat on the couch with a cup of tea Mikoto had made for him, tears welling up in his eyes. The whole situation reminded him far too much of what had happened to Seiji, the image of his brother-in law's corpse calling a familiar burning sensation to his eyes. His Mangekyo spun into being, called by the recollection of the same event that had caused them to manifest. He gripped the table in front of him, wisps of silver chakra dancing around his body, on the edge of coalescing into something more.

"If Himura ever lays a hand on Takanome again, I'm going to... " he trailed off, unable to articulate his emotions properly. Mikoto once more pulled him into a tight hug, doing her best to console her husband.

"Don't worry, the old bastard is on his way out, and if he does try anything, he'll have both of us to answer to." Fugaku nodded, the ghost of a smile returning to his face and his eyes reverting to their natural state. He took a few more moments to steady himself, before breaking off the hug and taking a sip of his tea. A thought popped into his mind, a perfect way to raise the team's spirits.

"We should have them over for dinner. The rest of Team 3 that is. I need to tell them about the Chunin exams anyway, plus I'd like for them to meet you and Itachi."

"Sure, when will Takanome be out of the hospital?"

"Tomorrow, they just wanted to keep him overnight for observation."

"Well then why don't we have them over the day after that. Does he have a place to stay?"

"Yes, he's staying at Shodo's house."

"Excellent. Now why don't I make us some dinner, you look like you need it."

"Can I help?"

"Of course." Somehow, his wife's smile made some of the pain go away.

Takanome was discharged from Kato Ninja Hospital just after lunch the next day, having spent the morning having all manner of tests run on him. Fortunately, nothing was wrong with him anymore, Fugaku having interrupted the seal before it could do any permanent damage. Shodo met him at the front of the building, dressed casually in a purple t-shirt and skirt. Takanome meanwhile was still in his combat gear from the day before. Shodo looked him up and down, an assortment of rips, burns and dirt covering the jacket and pants.

"Okay, before we go to my place, we need to take you shopping." she said, nodding sagely.

"I'd definitely appreciate some new clothes. I don't have any money though…" He'd contributed most of his mission pay to the clan stores as was required of a clan shinobi, with the rest having gone towards equipment maintenance.

"That's fine, I'll pay for it." Shodo shook her head as Takanome offered to pay her back.

"You will do nothing of the sort. Actually scratch that, you can pay me back by letting me take a look at your caged bird seal."

"What? Why?" Shodo sighed and rolled her eyes in reponse to his question.

"To work out how to undo it of course! Honestly Takanome, why else would I want to see it."

"But that is illegal under the clan's laws!"

"Well so is denouncing their traditions and learning elemental ninjutsu, didn't stop you before."

"That's… a very good point." It would obviously take some getting used to before he could truly wrap his head around the idea of being free. In a way Himura had done him a favour. A very painful favour, but a favour nonetheless.

"Oh, you need new ninja gear too don't you?" Takanome had his bow and quiver slung over his shoulder, she'd gone back to get them from the room where they had left them yesterday, but he didn't have his various other weapons and accessories.

"Correct, I decided not to bring them to training yesterday since it was supposed to be ninjutsu day. But we don't have to worry about buying them now, I'm sure I can convince the village to get me a new set."

"Sounds fair, but let's focus on getting you out of those," she gestured at his clothes, to which he nodded. The casual clothes didn't take too long, but Takanome took a while to pick out a new set of shinobi attire.

He settled on an assembly relatively similar to his previous outfit. A snow white jacket and black mesh-armour shirt, with black shorts. He had added a set of black arm and knee guards to the assembly, with both having storage seals woven into them. They bought a few sets of the outfit, and with that out of the way, they moved onto formal wear.

They arrived at one of the more upmarket clothing stores in Konoha, Shodo somewhat dazzled by all the finery on display. Takanome meanwhile immediately gravitated towards a row of kimono on dummies, particularly focusing on an emerald green one with a gold obi.

"Remind me why you need formal wear again?" Shodo asked, her wallet already significantly lighter than it had been an hour earlier. Takanome paused and thought for a moment, before offering a response.

"Well what if we need to escort or protect an important noble, and need to blend in at dinner or the like?" He replied as he tied up one of the sashes.

"Well just use a transformation jutsu then."

"That would be a waste of chakra."

"Oh please, even I can do a transformation jutsu without drawing upon my seals."

"Fair, but it is also considered highly rude to do such a thing at a formal event."

"Really? Are you sure you just don't like dressing up?" Shodo's eyes glinted as Takanome ceased "dressing up" to scowl at her, before he relaxed once again.

"Perhaps I do, but it is still very much against decorum. Trust me on this one, I received far too much etique training when I was younger."

"Well that's another positive isn't it? You don't really have to worry about all that stuff clan stuff anymore." Shodo was worried

"True." Takanome nodded as he pulled on the last layer of the kimono.

"How do I look?" he asked, giving his teammate a slow turn to show off the garment.

"Quite dashing if I do say so myself. Now let's pay for this thing and get you back to mine, we need to take the tour before dinner."

"The tour? How large is your house?" Takanome had the idea that Shodo's family was fairly wealthy, judging off of how freely she spent money and the passing references to her father's success as an ore merchant. Just what was he getting himself into here?

"Quite large, you'll see in just a minute." Shodo grinned an awfully evil grin at Takanome as she paid for the kimono and sauntered out of the store.

Large was an understatement.

Shodo's house was situated somewhat close to the clan compounds, and while not as big, it's size was definitely considerable.

They had to pass through a metal gate to enter the grounds, which was guarded by a Chunin who waved them through when he saw Shodo. It was then that Takanome was able to see their destination in full.

The house was three stories tall, made from a combination of red brick and a grey stone that Takanome didn't recognise. It was was surrounded by a garden that featured many exotic plant varieties. He took a moment to marvel at the menagerie of specimens of display, trees and flowers from all over the continent existing together in harmony.

"Unlike humans_,_" Takanome whispered to himself as he and Shodo's arrived the front door. Before The great wooden slab swung open to reveal a young man in a suit. He bowed slightly, smiling at Shodo as he rose.

"Good afternoon little lady," his voice was rich and sweet, like that of a singer. Shodo smiled in response.

"Afternoon Haru, I'm doing quite well."

"Excellent, and this must be master Takanome." The man, evidently a servant of some kind, turned to him and bowed.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Shodo has spoken a lot of you and your team." Takanome inclined his head in greeting, as was the proper response in this situation.

"Where is my father Haru?" Shodo asked as he led them inside to a cavernous entry hall.

"He is currently engaged in closing a deal, but he should be out shortly. How about I place Master Takanome's belongings in his room, and the two of you can wait for your father in the west sitting room."

"An excellent suggestion," she affirmed, Haru taking the shopping bags and the bow. Shodo then led Takanome down a hallway, it's walls decorated with tapestries depicting great events in shinobi history, such as the first Five Kage Summit and the destruction of the Village Hidden in the Whirlpools. When they entered a room at the end of the hallway, Takanome was greeted with a breathtaking sight. In front of him was a floor to ceiling window surrounding a glass door, that looked out over a patio area. However, that was not what drew his attention.

The room was dominated by another tapestry that hung from the North wall, this one a recreation of Hashirama Senju's battle against Madara Uchiha and the Nine-Tailed Fox. The craftsmanship was impeccable, down to the detailing on Hashirama's various weapons.

"Pretty sweet isn't it? Dad is really interested in Shinobi history, so he makes a point to collect stuff like this." Takanome nodded along with Shodo's explanation, still focused on the tapestry, as the two sat down on the padded chairs in the center of the room. They chatted for a while, mostly about what they had been researching lately. After about 5 minutes, the door to the sitting room opened, and Shodo's father walked in.

Takanome rose from his chair and bowed to the man. He had the same auburn hair as his daughter, albeit tied back into a short ponytail rather than leaving it down. He was clad in a two piece suit, and his brown eyes glinted in the afternoon sun. As Takanome rose from his bow, he locked eyes with his host.

"I thank you to the depths of my heart for your hospitality Mr Maekawa, I will do whatever I can to repay you in the future."

"It isn't a problem Takanome, although I would have thought I would have taken a bit longer for my daughter to bring home a boy," he said, causing Takanome and Shodo to turn bright red, both of them avoiding eye contact with the other. Mr Maekawa gave a short bark of laughter at his own joke, before the mirth sloughed off of him, replaced by a relaxed but neutral posture.

"Oh don't worry, I'm just messing with you two! But in all seriousness you are more than welcome here, I'm terribly sorry to hear about your current situation. If it weren't for you Shodo may not be alive right now, the least I can do is give you a place to stay. Unfortunately, I can't stay for long as I have a lot of paperwork to catch up on. It turns out that shipping is a lot harder when all of the ninja are out fighting in the war."

"I understand sir, but I still very much appreciate your hospitality. I must say, your house and the grounds look incredible, these tapestries in particular." Takanome motioned toward the piece of Hashirama and Madara. Mr. Maekawa smiled at this, and opened his mouth to reply. He was interrupted by a tapping on the door.

Shodo walked over to answer it, but when she opened it there was no one to be seen. Well, no one at eye level anyway.

"You're Shodo Maekawa, correct?" came a high pitched voice from near Shodo's feet. When she looked down, she was greeted by a female hawk with snow white feathers, her yellow eyes focused on her.

"Ummm, yeah?" Shodo was a bit taken aback. She'd of course heard of intelligent summoning animals, but had never actually met one. The hawk hopped around her and into the sitting room, taking a short flight to perch on the back of one of the couches. From her roost she focused on Takanome, taking a much closer inspection of him than she had Shodo.

"So you're the one Fugaku was talking about," she mumbled, seemingly to herself, before continuing at a louder volume.

"It is Fortunate that I found the two of you in the same place, saved me some time. Fugaku has invited you both to a casual dinner at his house tonight at 6. Heiko and Team 7 will also be there, I've just come from informing them."

"Thank you very much for informing us Ms Hawk, we will both be attending. But, do you know where Sensei's house actually is?" Despite teaching them for the last couple months, Fugaku had given his students very little insight into his personal life, save for a couple of tidbits here and there. The hawk sighed and shook her head, somehow radiating immense disapproval despite her lack of facial expressions.

"That man, he really needs to learn to open up quicker. Humans and their emotional stunting, ugh. In any case, Fugaku lives in the clan head's house."

"Wait what, Sensei isn't the clan head… I think? Isn't the Uchiha clan head a woman? ...Oh" Shodo came to the realisation of the situation, Takanome joining her a moment later.

"Yes indeed. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm needed elsewhere." The hawk moved to leave through the door, jumping on the handle in order to swing it open.

"Wait!" Takanome said, just before she was about to take flight. She stopped and turned, regarding him with a single eye.

"Thank you for delivering the message," he said, giving a slight bow. The hawk's beak parted slightly, and Takanome got the impression that this was her version of a smile.

"Not a problem, hopefully we'll be seeing more of each other soon." And with a flutter of snowy wings, the summon disappeared into the orange hue of the afternoon sky. Takanome froze in place, as Mr Maekawa spoke from where he had been silently watching the interaction.

"You didn't mention that your sensei had the Hawk Contract Shodo, maybe I can convince him to help me move some important goods around."

"Well sorry dad, I didn't know myself until now."

"Really? It seems you weren't exaggerating when you said your sensei was a mysterious figure. Now if you'll excuse me, I must get going," he said as he slipped out of the room, leaving Shodo to turn her attention to Takanome was still staring out into the sky.

_Hopefully we'll be seeing more of each_ _soon. _That had to mean what he thought it meant, right? He'd been worrying about actually finding a summoning contract to learn Senjutsu from, but it seemed as though one might have been under his nose this whole time...


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Takanome and Shodo arrived at the Uchiha district at 5:55 that evening, and unlike the Hyuga compound, there were no guards. They walked past the rows of houses, stopping for a moment to ask for directions to the clad head's house.

When they arrived at the building, they were greeted at the door by Mikoto Uchiha, head of Konoha's most powerful clan.

"Hey there, you're Takanome and Shodo right? My husband has spoken a lot about you two, most of it good." Mikoto smiled at them, and in that moment Takanome could almost forget that this woman was one of the greatest fire style users the village had ever produced. Both of the guests bowed deeply, Shodo speaking for both of them.

"Thank you for inviting us into your home Lady Uchiha, we are eternally thankful for your kindness."

"Oh drop the lady, just Mikoto is fine. Now come on in, everyone else is already here." With that they followed their host inside, to a brightly lit dining room. Their assembled friends all waved and gave happy greetings, but Takanome and Shodo were far too busy staring at the small child sitting at one end of the table.

"He's like a mini sensei…" Shodo whispered in shock, while Takanome could only stare.

"Crazy right? I feel you guys, I had the same reaction when I got here." Heiko mused, as the object of their awe walked down the table to bow in front of them.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Takanome and Shodo. I am Itachi Uchiha, son of Mikoto and Fugaku. Please enjoy the meal."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Itachi, thank you for your hospitality," Shodo replied, bowing to the clan heir.

After that they all took their seats and Takanome and Shodo were quickly introduced to Kushina, Minato's wife, and then dinner began. A collaboration between all of the Jonin had produced an incredible spread, featuring almost every cuisine native to fire country, and some that weren't.

Later that evening, Fugaku stood up, and got everyone's attention, the table quieting down.

"As you all know, Minato and I were asked to discuss some important matters with the Hokage yesterday. Because of the commotion we couldn't inform you, but I can now tell you that Minato and I have been selected as Lord Hokage's guards for an upcoming 5 kage peace summit in the land of iron." The table erupted into whoops of congratulation, Kushina crushing Minato in a tight hug. Mikoto simply opted to give her husband a quick peck on the cheek, seeing that he had something else to say.

"As a gesture of good faith, the villages have also agreed to participate in a joint Chunin exams proceeding the summit, and I have chosen to recommend Team 3 to participate." This caused an even louder uproar, shouts of celebration and excitement filling the air, even the more stoic members of the group cracking smiles.

Fugaku let everyone get it out of their system, before continuing.

"I will give you three more details at training tomorrow, but for now, let's celebrate." The cries of happiness erupted once more.

Takanome slept incredibly well that night, nestled in a luxurious bed in one of the Maekawa's guest rooms. He and Shodo rose early the next morning, the rest of the manor still asleep when they slipped out to head to training ground 25.

When they arrived, they found Heiko already waiting, the white-haired girl practicing her kunai throwing. As the last of her volley sunk into the middle of a target, she turned to face them, dark bags under her eyes.

"Heiko? What happened?" Shodo rushed over to her friend, the taller of the two hunched over in front of the targets.

"I was too excited about the Chunin exams and couldn't sleep," she moaned, seemingly barely able to keep her eyes open.

"How long have you been here for exactly?" Takanome asked, somewhat scared to hear the answer.

"3am…"

"Heiko, you should know better than to stay up too late like that. Sleep is a resource to be treasured." Fugaku chose that moment to arrive at the clearing. The team stood at attention for a moment before relaxing, as he approached. Heiko had perked up, most of the sleepiness leaving her system as excitement took over.

"So Sensei, what's going on with these Chunin exams, and how are we preparing for them?"

"I can understand your excitement Heiko, but I'd just want to make one thing clear before I explain. You do not have to enter these exams. You will be fighting against the best genin from other villages, and that means you could die."

The aura of enthusiasm Team 3 held came crashing down, as the reality of the situation was brought to light. This wasn't a local event held here in Konoha, where they would be competing against allies. No, their opponents would be shinobi that they could be facing on the battlefield if the peace talks failed, ninja from other villages who wanted nothing more than to watch the life drain from their bodies. This was serious business.

But Team 3 wasn't going to back down.

"We understand that Sensei, but there is no way we aren't going to take the challenge. Plus, we're total badasses, and I'm sure whatever awesome training regime you've cooked up will do us wonders. " Heiko grinned, her previous tiredness completely gone, replaced once more by boundless enthusiasm. Takanome and Shodo nodded in agreement, swept up by Heiko's charisma.

"Well I'm glad you guys are up for the task, otherwise all the prep I did will have gone to waste. Since these exams are so important, Lord Third has allowed me to delegate some of my teaching duties. The three of you will each be getting a specialist teacher." He turned to Heiko first.

"Heiko, you're going to be working with your father. Riku has agreed that it's time to start teaching you some of the more advanced clan techniques, so good luck with that. He's said to do your warmup drills back home and he'll meet you there once he's done with the clan head meeting." Heiko whooped for joy, and with a wave, rushed off in the direction of her house. Fugaku focused on Shodo next.

"Shodo, Kushina has agreed to tutor you on some more practical combat seals, and to teach you how to auto-tag." Shodo flashed the biggest grin Fugaku had ever seen on her, and he could understand why. Auto-tagging was the practice of being able to directly imprint a seal onto a surface with just your chakra, no ink required. It was only possible with seals a user was intimately familiar with, but it was still a necessary tool in any true sealer's arsenal.

"Plus if Minato's around, I'm sure he can give you a hand with the FTG." Shodo's smile somehow got even wider, and she skipped off once Fugaku gave her a small piece of paper with the pair's address.

Finally he turned to Takanome, his own smile feeding Takanome's apprehension.

Who is my special teacher going to be? Will it be Sensei?

Fugaku seemed to be able to read Takanome's mind, as a smile covered his face

"You'll be studying with me, Takanome. But hopefully I won't be your only teacher." Takanome's eyes grew wide as Fugaku flashed through a sequence of seals that his recent study had burnt into his mind.

Boar

Dog

Bird

Monkey

Ram.

"Summoning Jutsu," Fugaku slammed his hand into the ground, the technique generating a knee high cloud of white smoke. It quickly cleared to reveal the hawk he had met the day before, her white feathers shining in the morning sun.

"So you decided to recommend him after all, Fugaku," she said, yellow eyes focusing on Takanome.

"Indeed. Takanome, this is Yukihane, a member of the Hawk contract and one of my familiars. Although I believe you've already met." Fugaku smiled at Takanome's shocked expression, the gears in his head clicking into place.

"Does this mean… you're letting me sign the Hawk contract?!" Takanome exclaimed, his hope crystallizing into reality.

"Not quite yet Takanome. The Hawk clan doesn't allow just anyone to be their Summoner. Fugaku has recommended you, and I have seconded that recommendation. Now you will be taken to our domain, Cloudroost, to be evaluated by our leader. If he approves of you, you will be allowed to sign the contract," Yukihane explained, Takanome reining in his excitement. This was possibly one of the most important points in his life, he couldn't mess this up. Engage, but lightly, no heavy questions right now.

"How do we reach Cloudroost?" Takanome queried, his voice somewhat subdued.

"It's reasonably simple, I'll go back there, and then I'll reverse summon Fugaku to me. If you're holding onto him at the time, I will be able to bring you along."

"Understood. Are we going now?"

"Indeed, I will see you two in a moment." With that, Yukihane disappeared in the same puff of smoke she had arrived in.

Fugaku offered his hand to Takanome, who took it in his own. A moment later the world flashed white, then black, then white again. When the chakra smoke surrounding them cleared, Takanome's jaw dropped.

Spread out in front of him was the most breathtaking vista he had ever seen. They stood on a small floating island, which was connected via a wooden bridge to a significantly larger landmass.

The larger island was dominated by a snow capped mountain, the peak shrouded by fluffy white clouds. The foothills were covered in a lush forest, the emerald leaves glittering in the morning sun. Tiny specks could be seen in the air all around, diving and spiralling around each other in a never ending aerial dance.

"Welcome to Cloudroost Takanome, hopefully you'll be spending lots of time here in the future. Now come, we must not be late for our meeting with Taiyohane." Yukihane took flight, heading towards a stone structure about a third of the way up the mountain. Fugaku gestured to Takanome to follow him, the two taking off through the forest, tailing Yukihane at a distance.

They traveled at a pace slightly faster than standard, the two shinobi on the ground weaving through the canopy, tracking the white speck that was their guide. Takanome decided to take the opportunity to ask a question that had been on his mind since he began to suspect Fugaku held the Hawk Contract.

"Sensei, do you have any ability to use senjutsu?" Fugaku sighed, which gave Takanome his answer, but the older man chose to elaborate.

"I've never had any aptitude for the sage arts. It seems as though my chakra is just incompatible with natural energy. It seems to be an Uchiha problem, as there have never been any records of an Uchiha sage, despite us holding multiple summoning contracts over the years, and excelling in every other area of shinobi arts."

"Peculiar, perhaps it has something to do with the Sharingan?"

"That's my personal theory." Takanome was quiet for a moment, then brought up another topic that had been on his mind.

"And Minato-sensei? Who did he learn senjutsu from?"

"Both Minato and Jiraiya-sensei learnt senjutsu from the Toads, although the latter can't utilise the ability to its fullest."

"Do you know who the other recorded sages are?" Fugaku pondered the question for a moment before answering.

"The only other one I know of was Hashirama Senju."

"Who did he learn it from? I've never heard of him having a summon…"

"He taught himself how to do it. Evidently his Wood Style gave him an extreme natural affinity for it."

"Makes sense," Takanome mused as they emerged past the treeline and onto the slopes of the mountain, their progress slowed by the incline. Yukihane remained a constant distance ahead of them as they climbed, the mountain becoming steeper and steeper until they needed to use chakra to stop from sliding down.

A few minutes later, Yukihane dropped down from the sky to rest on Fugaku's shoulder, her talons sinking ever so slightly into his flak jacket. As they crested the next ridge, they stood on a platform of sorts which jutted out from the side of the mountain. Ahead of them stood the structure Takanome had noticed from their arrival point.

It was a massive, intricately carved stone archway, inlaid with friezes of various scenes. They depicted many scenes of birds in flight or hunting, as well as the images of a small number of humans. The keystone of the arch showed an image of two colossal birds standing behind a pair of men meditating half a meter off the ground, each holding a monk's staff.

Takanome was distracted from his art appreciation by the beating of wings. A grey hawk, large enough to carry multiple people on its back, landed a few metres away from them, the gusts of wind from it's wings blowing back his hair. Fugaku smiled, and stepped forward to give the bird a beak rub. After a moment he turned to face his pupil.

"Takanome, this is Tetsuhane, my other familiar. Tetsuhane, this is Takanome, one of my students." Takanome bowed, receiving a head dip in return.

"I would say I've heard a lot about you Takanome, but I haven't seen Fugaku since he was injured." The hawk gave his summoner an easily interpreted glance, before turning his gaze towards the arch.

"Come now, we mustn't keep Taiyohane waiting." With that, the party made their way into the darkness of the tunnel. They walked in the pitch black for about a minute, before light slowly began to encroach on Takanome's vision once more.

It was at this point that he realised that the mountain was hollow. The entire inside of the edifice was covered in glittering crystal, a single beam of light shining down from far above reflecting over and over until it lit up the entire cavern.

A crystal pavilion was suspended in the middle of the area, the prism at its peak the origin of the reflections that lit the cavern. There was no bridge connecting it to the platform they were on, so Takanome stopped at the edge.

"How do we get across? Can you fly us over?" He asked, looking at Tetsuhane. However, it was Yukihane who answered, still perched on Fugaku's shoulder.

"No, part of seeking an audience with Taiyohane is making it to his roost unaided. If you cannot make it, you have no right to be a Summoner of the Hawk Contract," she explained.

"And if I do fall?"

"The bottom of this pit connects to open air, and it's an approximately 5 kilometre fall to the ground." And with that terrifying statement, Yukihane took flight, easily crossing the huge gap that separated them from their destination. Tetsuhane quickly followed her, leaving only the humans to contemplate how to make the jump. Well, at least Takanome was contemplating.

Fugaku smiled, and backed up about a hundred meters from the edge, dropping into a sprinter's stance. After a moment of focus, lightning flickered across his body, blue electricity arcing along the ground around him.

And then he ran.

With speed Takanome could barely follow, even with his Byakugan, Fugaku bounded forward, taking a dozen meters with each huge stride. On the last step before the edge, he jumped up and slammed both feet into the ground. A column of stone erupted beneath his feet, launching him into the air at blinding velocity. The Uchiha flew through the air sailing in a perfect arc to land on the platform. A moment before impact, he blew out a gust of flame, slowing his descent to allow for a calm landing. He turned, and with a grin, beckoned to Takanome.

The teen looked up, focusing his Byakugan on the inclined ceiling far above. He jumped up onto the wall above the entrance, following it up higher and higher until he was confident he could make the distance. Then he crouched…. and leaped.

Simultaneously, he altered the attractive chakra coat on his feet into a burst of wind, boosting him forward. He rocketed towards the pavilion, at which point he did a flip midair, and pulled the same maneuver except in the opposite direction. This slowed his momentum enough to not break bones upon landing, but still too fast to be comfortable.

He tumbled as he hit the ground, rolling over until he was stopped by one of the crystal pillars that held up the roof of the pavilion. Fugaku ran over to him, helping his student up.

"You okay? You might have gone a little too fast there."

"Indeed, but I made it, and that's what counts, doesn't it?" He smiled, but it quickly turned into a wince.

"No matter, you should be fine. Come, we are almost there." Yukihane led the way through another archway, bringing them before a great curtain that circled the center of the structure. Within, Takanome saw he could see a bright light glowing, almost like a covered lamp.

"Lord Taiyohane, we have come to seek an audience with you," called Fugaku, after which he quickly dropped to one knee, head bowed. Takanome followed his actions, and the pair of hawks both dropped their heads to the ground. Within the curtain, Takanome could hear the rhythmic clacking of great talons striking crystal. As the sound drew closer and the light grew brighter, Fugaku nudged Takanome.

"Whatever you do, do not look directly at Taiyohane unless he tells you to," he whispered, hand holding his student's head down.

"Why?"

"There is a reason he is called Sunwing."

A moment later, a deep voice spoke not far from them, Takanome feeling it shake his body from the ground up.

"Welcome to Cloudroost young Takanome. I understand you wish to sign our contract?" For a moment Takanome struggled to find his voice, especially with the tip of a glowing wing in the corner of his vision. But for once his clan training proved useful, conditioning taking over.

"Yes Lord Taiyohane, nothing would please me more."

"And why is it that you desire a summoning contract so greatly?"

"My primary reason is that I wish to train in the sage arts. Although having access to a set of summons is invaluable to any shinobi." He saw the glow grow brighter, an aura of heat beginning to wash over him.

"Study the sage arts? Well my sister has not had a student in a long time… Fugaku, does he show any aptitude for senjutsu?"

"Yes my lord, in the extreme."

"I see… Takanome, look into my eyes for a moment." The light grew slightly darker as the great hawk spoke, but the Genin was stunned as a single enormous talon entered his field of view. Takanome forced himself to look up, and gazed into the face of pure majesty.

Taiyohane stood as tall as a building, even with his wings pulled in. His body was covered in incandescent white feathers, each glowing with an inner light that washed the area in a warm glow. His beak was pure gold, as opposed to the dull yellow of all the other hawks he had seen.

But his most mesmerising characteristic was his eyes, miniature stars glinting at the center of pools of molten gold. Takanome felt as though he could stare into those eyes for the rest of eternity, their endless depths pulling him in. He felt as though Taiyohane could gaze into his very soul, and see the path of his life laid out before him.

All the while, Takanome felt his eyes start to sting, looking at something so bright for more than a few seconds bringing the beginning of an intense pain.

"That is enough Takanome, look away before you hurt yourself," Taiyohane commanded, and Takanome dropped his head once again.

"This one has passed my inspection. Takanome is welcome to sign the Hawk Contract. However, I sense he is not quite ready for sage training from Tsukihane. Once he has increased his chakra reserves, he may return to receive instruction." Takanome's elation dropped off slightly at the latter half of the news, but he was still overjoyed that he had passed his new boss's inspection. Taiyohane turned to Tetsuhane, the other bird looking up in response.

"Tetsu, please fetch the contract so Takanome may sign it." The grey hawk nodded and flew off into the depths of the roost, returning a moment later with a scroll as tall as Fugaku clutched in his talons. He placed it on the ground in front of Takanome and opened the clasp with his beak, before stepping back to his original position.

"Come closer Takanome. I must warn you though, the blood that you use to sign the contract must be drawn by me. An additional security measure if you will. Now please, present me with your hand." Takanome did as instructed, keeping his eyes averted as he felt Taiyohane's heat draw closer. A moment later, he felt a prick of burning pain as Taiyohane's beak pierced his skin, but it was gone as soon as it started. Takanome quickly knelt down and signed his name in the indicated space, purposefully omitting the "Hyuga" portion he was so used to writing, hand heavy despite his excitement.

"Excellent, you are now bound to the Summoning contract of the Hawks. I will leave your education in our ways to Fugaku. I will also assign a familiar to you when you first perform the summoning technique. Now I must go, I bid you all farewell." With that, the Hawk Chief walked off, the clacking of his talons and the glow of his feathers receding until Fugaku indicated that Takanome could look up again.

Once they left the pavilion, Yukihane disappeared in a puff of smoke. The humans were pulled along after a quick goodbye to Tetsuhane, reappearing at the training ground they had left, Yukihane standing in front of them. Fugaku turned to Takanome, a smile on his face.

"Well, now I guess I should teach you the summoning jutsu. In its most basic form it's pretty simple, you know the hand signs right?" Takanome nodded. "Excellent, well give it a shot, don't use too much chakra, Taiyohane has probably assigned you a messenger bird as a familiar."

Takanome quickly ran through the seals, slamming his hand into the ground. The standard sealing formula spread out from his palm and was then obscured by a wave of white smoke.

It parted a moment later to reveal a normal sized hawk, it's feathers the same colour as Fugaku's flak jacket. It looked up to gaze at Takanome, it's head tilting slightly. Takanome bowed to his new familiar.

"Greetings, my name is Takanome, what is yours?"

"Kazehane is the name given to me by my elders. It is a pleasure to meet you Takanome, I hope our partnership can be long and fruitful."

"Indeed."

"Alright Takanome, I want to work with you on your nature transformation and do a bit of sparring, you can get to know your new friend better later. Yuki, could you give Kazehane a tour of the village? Just important spots that he might need to know, introduce him to important people too."

"Got it, I'll see you later Takanome. Come Kaze, fly with me." The two hawks took off, leaving the humans to square off.

"Come Takanome, show me what you're got," Fugaku said, eyes focusing on his student, although they remained black rather than red as he settled into a taijutsu stance

"With pleasure," Takanome replied, his own eyes activating, as he raised his hands

The first attack of the match was Takanome's, a wave of wind made of a multitude of miniature blades slicing the grass of the training ground as they closed in on their target. Fugaku dodged over the attack with a backflip, easily evading the basic attack, a trio of orange fireballs careening towards his student mid air as a response.

Takanome dodged the first one by going low, sliding along the ground as the orb of fire passed harmlessly over his head. The next two were aimed to strike him as he rose from the ground, one on either side. He dodged left, using a blast of wind from his palms to maneuver around the oncoming attack.

As he rolled on the landing, Takanome pulled out his bow and launched a volley of arrows at Fugaku. With a stomp of his foot, the Uchiha erected an earthen wall to catch the projectiles. After impact, he slammed his palm into the structure, sending the whole structure flying through the air towards his opponent.

Takanome, who had used the wall as a cover to move in, was forced to react quickly to a quarter ton of rock he was currently on a collision course with. He leapt up and vaulted over the wall, pushing off the back of it to close the distance to his opponent.

As he moved in however, he suddenly felt an extreme bout of motion sickness. Rather than hitting Fugaku with a flying kick as he intended, Takanome instead fell face first to the ground just short of his target. He barely dispelled the genjutsu in time to avoid being hit by a kunai aimed for his back.

Takanome extended his arms downwards, pushing his legs up into a spin, forming a miniature wind vortex to force Fugaku back. He was countered by a small bolt of lightning that sent him flying back, barely managing to flip over and land on his feet despite the pain.

He didn't have any time to recover however, as Fugaku body flickered forward, fist already pulled back for a punch. Takanome weaved past the attack, aiming for a gentle fist strike to the throat, there was no way he could keep up with Fugaku, even when he was holding back, without killing intent.

The blow was unsurprisingly parried, and countered with a left roundhouse kick. Takanome blocked the attack with his forearm, wincing in pain at the intense impact. He tried to counter by blowing a gust of wind at his opponent's face, but his aim was disrupted by another motion sickness genjutsu, Fugaku ducking down as the attack went high. The Byakugan may have rendered Takanome mostly immune to visual genjutsu, but he was still very much vulnerable to other forms of illusion.

I need to surprise Sensei somehow, improvise a bit…. Think Takanome... you're not bound by clan laws anymore, so why not do something you never would have before.

Takanome jumped into Fugaku, disrupting his opponent's attempt to charge another fireball. As he did so, his hands began to glow with the telltale chakra of the gentle fist.

Except now it wasn't just any chakra, but wind chakra.

Takanome unleashed a flurry of strikes at Fugaku, the Uchiha forced to dodge each of them, not wanting to find out exactly what this new technique would do to his chakra system. Each swipe of Takanome's hands was accompanied by a faint buzzing noise, and the usually sky blue chakra on his hands had turned a light green as it swirled around his fingers and palms. Fugaku eventually created some space between himself and his student by spitting out a stream of water. However, just before the stream hit Takanome, the Genin disappeared, having performed a replacement, his new position nowhere to be seen.

"You're within range of my divination sensei," Takanome called from behind, and Fugaku turned around just in time to see his student leap forward, hands held high. The first hit of the combo landed, and Fugaku was unable to move as the rest were launched.

"Two hits, four hits, eight hits, sixteen hits… Eight Trigrams Wind Style: Thirty-Two palms!" Takanome yelled as he landed the final strikes of the most advanced gentle fist technique he knew. To his dismay however, his target exploded into a blast of lightning, knocking him to the ground. Before he could get up, he saw something coming at him from below.

Takanome rolled over as Fugaku's hands emerged from the ground, bringing a kunai from his pouch to stab one of the offending appendages. However, before he could, he felt a blade at his neck.

"Got you," Fugaku said from behind Takanome, the genjutsu around him dispelling as the shadow clone in the ground popped.

Takanome sighed as he stood up and dusted himself off. Sure he never expected to win against Fugaku, but it was still disappointing.

"Don't be so down on yourself Takanome, that new wind style gentle fist is a truly terrifying technique. Come, let's try to develop that a bit more." A smile returned to Takanome's face at his teacher's kind words, and he settled into his fighting stance once more.

A/N: Hey all, I hope you enjoyed the longest chapter yet, and a bit of a glance into the future for Takanome and Team 3. Also, you may or may not have noticed that I have gone back and fixed many of the errors in the previous chapters. This is both the work of myself and my wonderful Beta TheMasterDoughnut, who has been an immense help in both editing and brainstorming. Also thanks to the r/NarutoFanfiction discord for helping out with ideas and feedback. Thanks for reading, and please review!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

**A/N: quick thing, I've retconned something. Heiko's mother is said to be an active duty ninja in chapter 2, but I've gone back and changed that. Her new status is not elaborated on.**

It did not take Shodo long to arrive at Kushina's house, hopping over the roofs of the village with her sealing satchel slung over her shoulder. Her destination was a reasonably sized apartment situated in the commercial district. She knocked on the door, which was a bright yellow, with the red Uzumaki swirl painted in the middle.

A moment later, the door swung open, revealing not Kushina, but rather Minato, clad in a frilly pink apron. Shodo managed to contain her shock at the visage before her, as her sensei's best friend gave her a smile.

"Hey Shodo, Kushina mentioned you might be coming by. She's just woken up, so it might take a while for her to finish getting ready. Can I get you anything while you wait?" He said as he led her to the apartment's living room.

"Oh thank you Minato-sensei. If I could get a green tea that would be excellent."

"Not a problem, take a seat on the couch and I'll be out with it in a sec." Shodo did as instructed, sinking into the plush cushions. She glanced around the room, seeing various pictures of it's two inhabitants, both alone and with friends placed on the walls. One in particular that caught her eye was a picture of Minato and Fugaku as Genin, Jiraiya holding the two of them on one shoulder each.

She didn't have long to appreciate it though, as Minato quickly emerged with a green tea for both of them.

"So," he said as he sat down next to her. "Have you made any progress on the Flying Thunder God?"

"No," Shodo hung her head as she took a sip of her drink. "The most progress I've made is figure out the physics behind the technique, but that doesn't exactly help me in using it." Minato gave a hum of thought as he tilted his head slightly, before smiling.

"You'd be surprised how much it helps. Tell me what you've figured out."

"Well, the technique uses 4th dimensional hyperspace as a shortcut to move between two 3rd dimensional points. The seals act as anchors, to allow you to "pull" yourself back to the normal world after moving to hyperspace."

"Correct so far."

"However, I don't understand how one actually gets to hyperspace in the first place. I mean, the amount of chakra required to open even a small aperture would theoretically be dozens of times greater than the chakra reserves of a normal kage. I could believe Lord Second maybe having that much chakra, but that doesn't explain how he was able to use the technique in rapid succession. Or, and no offence here Minato-sensei, how you're able to use it with reserves nowhere near that amount."

"No offence taken Shodo. Now, I think I can begin to see where your problem lies. How exactly did you calculate the required chakra input for the technique?"

"Well part of the notes that came with Tobirama's seal was the "breach energy level" required to pierce into hyperspace. I simply just multiplied that by the approximate volume of a person, and came out with that number."

"And how much chakra did you calculate for you to pull yourself out of hyperspace?"

"Far less, because you already have a connection to 3D space through your markings, you don't have to force a breach open..." Realisation lit up Shodo's face. "Wait, you don't mean?"

"Yep, you have to figure out how to get a marking into hyperspace." Minato smiled, happy that she had made the connection so easily.

"But still, I don't have the required chakra to get something small into hyperspace. Plus, I haven't even worked out how the markings function or how to make my own, or how it would even begin to actually teleport."

"Well I'm not going to just tell you."

"Why not?" Shodo was somewhat surprised at this reaction, Minato had seemed so keen to help her just a moment before.

"Technically, the technique you're trying to decode is an S-Rank Forbidden Technique. It's only by special exception that you're even allowed to be studying it in the first place. If I share it's secrets, that's effectively high treason. I can give you some hints here and there, but I can't give you the answers." Shodo nodded in response, she understood what he was getting at. But still, it was frustrating to have to work through it all herself.

_Get ahold of yourself Shodo, Minato and Lord Second both figured it out, the least you can do is give it a shot._ With that, the Genin resolved to keep at it, to unlock the secrets of the Flying Thunder God no matter how long it took.

"Excuse me blondie, did I just hear you leaking S-rank secrets to a lowly Genin?" Minato blanched as a hand placed itself on his shoulder. Shodo's eyes widened as a shadowy figure loomed behind the Jonin, an aura of red chakra leaking off of it.

A moment later though, the genjutsu sloughed off to reveal Kushina, dressed in a standard flak jacket and black pants, hair done up into a high ponytail. She laughed as victims relaxed, shaking her head as she plucked the green tea out of Minato's hand, much to his chagrin.

"So Shodo, looking forward to some proper sealing training?" She said after taking a sip of the drink.

"Absolutely Kushina-sensei! It's an incredible opportunity to learn from a real master!" Shodo could honestly barely contain her excitement, this was going to be _so_ much better than having to learn it all from old textbooks. Sure they had their place, but Kushina Uzumaki, teaching her sealing... wow.

"Oh you flatter me, well then there's no time to waste! Minato-dearest, if you wouldn't mind giving us a lift to training ground 10?"

"Nope, consider it your punishment for giving me a minor heart attack. Plus, I've still got a few things to do around the house. See you two later!" Minato smiled and waved as Kushina rolled her eyes and led Shodo out of the door.

Kushina watched her new studently intently as the pair made their way to training ground 10. She'd read the girl's file when Fugaku contacted her yesterday, and had seen the attached pictures of the seals the girl had painted directly onto her own body. Kushina knew from first hand experience on both sides how volatile direct to skin seals could be, especially those that tapped directly into one's chakra network. So the first thing she asked when they arrived at their destination was to inspect said seals firsthand.

"Shodo I'm gonna need to take a look at your body seals if you don't mind, both to get an idea for your style and also to check for any mistakes."

"Ummm sensei, some of them are in pretty compromising locations…"

"Oh not to worry Shodo, I'll throw up an obsurement seal." With a practiced ease, Kushina slapped her hand onto the ground beneath them, a formula spreading out along the dirt. When it finished growing, what appeared to be a faint heat haze appeared around it's edge. Shodo knew that from the outside, the haze was strong enough to completely block vision.

Shodo quickly showed Kushina each of the seals, somewhat embarrassed even with the seal up, not to mention someone she had only met once before looking at her so intently. Kushina didn't speak during her inspection, but made various noises of contemplation.

Shodo didn't exactly have many seals on her body, just a chakra storage seal on her 3rd, 6th and 8th gates, as well as a fortification seal on each limb.

"Well, looks like you've done a pretty good job on those, nothing urgently wrong that I need to correct," Kushina finally said, a wide smile splitting her face. Shodo gave a sigh of relief and quickly redressed as Kushina dropped the obscurement seal.

"Alright, the first thing we're going to learn is auto-tagging. You already know what that is right?"

"Of course."

"Well then, lemme get you started on that. Take a seat." The Uzumaki sat down on the grass of the training ground. As Shodo followed her lead, the older woman ran through a series of quick hand seals and tapped her palm to the ground. A flat square of rock rose up from the ground between the two, giving them a clear space to work on.

"Okay first, picture a seal in your mind. It can be any seal, just as long as you know it well," Kushina instructed. Shodo closed her eyes, imagining the linework of a parent attraction seal.

"Got it?" Shodo nodded in response to Kushina's question

"Okay, place your hand on the rock." Shodo reached out and placed her hand on the cool stone, feeling the tiny cracks and ridges that covered it.

"And push out your chakra in the shape of the seal." Shodo did so, feeling the chakra leave her body through her palm, imprinting the shape of the seal onto the rock. When she opened her eyes though her "seal" was a mess of squiggly lines.

"Don't worry 'bout it Shodo, that was a pretty good first try. Keep practicing. Once you've got that down, I'll get you started on converting your chakra to ink so that your seals actually work. Seal won't work if the chakra doesn't have anything to flow through! Once you're finished with tagging, I'll give you some help on some more practical combat seals." Kushina grinned. Shodo just sighed, and returned to her task, dutifully imprinting onto the rock.

This was going to be harder than she thought.

Heiko was just finishing up her warm ups when her father returned. Riku found her standing in the garden, completing the final steps of a kata.

"That was pretty good Heiko, you've fixed up the problems in the stance you had before," he said, offering his daughter a high five.

"Aww thanks dad," Heiko said as they clapped their hands together, a tiny burst of yang chakra radiating from the point of contact.

"So, Fugaku has tasked me with whipping you into shape for the chunin exams. And a joint one too? You're going to have your work cut out for you."

"Well then what are you going to teach me? Brilliant Blade? Brightwhip? OH! Maybe Yang Shadow?" Heiko was positively bubbling with excitement, jumping up and down on the spot in anticipation.

"Yin release." With those two words, all of Heiko's enthusiasm instantly drained away to be replaced by anger.

"No," she growled out, "I refuse to."

"Come on Heiko, you need to get over it at some point."

"No I don't. What _I need_ is to understand why you don't seem to care!" She shouted, immediately regretting her words as her father's face fell.

"I do care Heiko it's just that… I've put aside my feelings about your mother. Right now, we need to focus on getting you ready for what might possibly be a lethal experience. So please work with me here?" Heiko was silent for a moment, before shaking her head.

"Sorry dad, I just can't. Maybe someday, but not now. Can we please just focus on Yang release and general stuff?" Riku sighed, but nodded.

"Fine, but you're going to have to train twice as hard to make up for it."

"I wouldn't dream of anything else."

=== A week later ===

Team 3 had gathered at their usual training ground to do some teamwork drills. After all, the Chunin Exams were primarily a teamwork exercise, and a month of solo training wasn't exactly conducive to that. Currently, they were practicing synchronizing kunai throws on a single target.

Unfortunately, that was interrupted by an unexpected guest.

"Ah Team 3, I see your training is going well." The Genin jumped and spun around, to reveal Hiruzen sitting on a rock behind them. The Hokage was clad in what seemed to be some sort of battle armour, as opposed to the robes they normally saw him in. None of them had felt so much of a hint of him sneaking up on them.

"Good morning Lord Third, to what do we owe the honour?" Fugaku asked as he made his way over from where he had been watching his students.

"I was in fact looking for you Fugaku. I was hoping I could steal you away for awhile to run over some details of the Chunin exams?"

"Of course Lord Hokage. Team 3, keep at your teamwork drills for the rest of the day if I don't come back." He received a chorus of affirmatives in response.

"Come Fugaku, we have much to discuss. I hope your training goes well with Team 3." With that, Hiruzen and Fugaku disappeared in a body flicker, leaving Team 3 to continue with their drills.

When they emerged from his body flicker, Fugaku found himself in a section of the forest he didn't recognise. Minato was standing just in front of them, leaning against a tree. He quickly fell in behind Hiruzen, and leant over to stage whisper to Fugaku.

"You know what this is about? Lord Third just told me to meet him at these coordinates."

"Well he told me it was to do with the Chunin exams, but I'd hazard a guess it is actually related to the S-rank exams," Fugaku said back, at a similar volume. Hiruzen rolled his eyes at the two as he stopped at a seemingly random spot.

"I need you to follow my footsteps exactly. You may also want to memorise the steps yourselves, it will be useful later." he said, his tone serious. The pair following him both nodded in understanding, their jovial attitude evaporating. What followed was Hiruzen taking measures strides, carefully weaving between the dense forest, Fugaku and Minato following closely behind.

Around 10 minutes later, Fugaku and Minato felt a strange chill pass over them as they emerged into a clearing, easily 500 meters in diameter. Around the edges was a series of wooden buddha statues, each carved in a lotus position.

"Welcome to Training Ground Zero gentlemen," Hiruzen smiled as his subordinates glanced around in surprise.

"How the hell did you hide something this big so close to the Village? And isn't training ground zero where we keep the exotic animals?" Fugaku asked, he and Minato following Hiruzen as they made their way towards the biggest statue, which was close to where they had emerged.

"That is just a cover for this place. The true training ground Zero was built during the founding of Konoha, by Madara, Hashirama, Tobirama and Mito. It was designed as a secret place close to the village where it's most powerful members could come to train in peace. All four of them offered their expertise to help build the ultimate training area, able to simulate multiple battlegrounds and allow powerful shinobi to bring their strength to bear without risk of harming the village." The Hokage turned to face them as they arrived in front of the statue.

"But that doesn't explain how no one has found it," Minato pressed. He was sure he had been in this direction before, and had found nothing. How had it remained hidden for so long?

"A combination of sealing, genjutsu and space time ninjutsu protect this place. If you do not follow the exact path we took on the way in, you will simply never arrive. However Minato, you may place a Flying Thunder God seal here in order to return at any time." As they arrived in front of the statue, a small platform of wood rose out of the ground, the outline of a pair of hands the only markings on its surface.

Hiruzen placed his hands on the markings and concentrated, a visible chakra aura swirling around him. A moment later the statue began to glow with a soft green light, joined in quick succession by the others. The light spread upwards, creating a circular barrier around the clearing. Simultaneously, the ground beneath them shook, as it began to form boulders and trees to use as cover.

The process took a few minutes, but the empty clearing had transformed into a battleground littered with uneven terrain, cover points and even small ponds.

"As you can see, this place is quite incredible. However, I did not bring you here just to show it to you and tell you that you could use it." Hiruzen smiled as his subordinates' faces revealed their realisation at what was happening.

"Why don't we have a quick spar? The two of you against myself? I haven't gotten an opportunity to stretch my muscles for a while."

Fugaku and Minato nervously agreed, but quickly resolved themselves. This was an excellent opportunity to practice against an S-rank ninja that they had barely any experience fighting. The group moved to the middle of Zero to begin the match.

Hiruzen launched the first attack, a triple barrage of lightning, fire and water dragons, the intelligent projectiles quickly seeking out their targets. Minato flung a kunai through the opening between the attacks, warping himself and Fugaku into melee range, the latter's Mangekyo flaring to life.

Hiruzen formed a pair of shadow clones in response, the solid copies moving forward to intercept the aggressors as the original wove a quick set of seals. The resulting jutsu was a wave of earth that knocked his opponents off balance.

The pair were pressured by the clones, but quickly managed to overwhelm them once they regained their balance. However rather than the usual puff of chakra smoke, the clones exploded into a cloud of ash.

The sudden wave of darkness brought upon by the attack sent Minato and Fugaku into a short coughing fit. The latter glanced up to watch the cloud, eyes widening as he perceived the glowing form of a charging Hiruzen.

The Hokage leaped out of the smoke a moment later, Adamantine staff held high. He swung it around in a huge arc, Fugaku's Mangekyo-assisted reactions allowing him to dodge. Minato however, having been blinded by the ash, was hit with the full force of the attack.

The blond Jonin was sent flying, crashing into a tree, which splintered from the force of the impact. Fugaku didn't have time to help his friend though, as Hiruzen swung the staff around and over his head, then brought it straight down. Without time to dodge, Fugaku reacted without thinking, and braced himself for the pain.

But not the pain of Hiruzen's attack.

Fugaku's eyes flashed as silver light spun around him, crimson and onyx orbs blazing with huge amounts of chakra. The silver light coalesced into the shape of a ribcage of pure chakra, surrounding Fugaku with an unbreakable defence.

Hiruzen's staff slammed into Fugaku's Susanoo ribcage, the construct cracking slightly under the force. Hiruzen was caught off balance slightly by the jarring impact, his staff rebounding from the silver barrier. Fugaku looked up into the Hokage's wide eyes, casting an enhanced Bringer of Darkness genjutsu before he could close them. Hiruzen landed on the ground a few metres away, footing stable even without his sight.

At that moment Minato appeared behind the Professor, having used a FTG marking that he placed when he had been hit by the adamantine staff. The blond held a spiralling sphere of blue chakra in his left hand, the new technique that Fugaku had seen him working on.

Simultaneously Fugaku dropped his Susanoo and rushed forward, brandishing a kunai flowing with lightning chakra. The two brought their attacks in from opposite sides, their target still blinded.

However, a moment before their strikes landed both Jonin froze, muscles completely locking up. Hiruzen grinned, a pair of black tendrils connecting his own shadow to his opponents'. He rubbed his nose, which Fugaku could see was filled with a chakra similar to how he had seen Inuzuka enhance their sense of smell.

"Enma, if you would," Hiruzen said, unable to break out of the extremely powerful genjutsu without significant effort. An arm grew out of the Hokage's staff and punched him in the arm, before disappearing back into the black surface. Meanwhile, Minato and Fugaku strained against the hold of the Shadow Possession, but to no avail. Even in his mid fifties Hiruzen's chakra reserves were too vast for the pair to contest, both of them boasting relatively small reserves for ninja of their caliber.

Hiruzen then raised his staff and tapped it against his opponents heads in turn. They understood the message, he could have used mind destruction on both of them. A moment later the shadow possession dropped and the trio relaxed. The whole fight had taken less than a minute, but it had still been good practice.

"Excellent work the both of you, you almost had me at the end there. Fugaku, I see you have gained the ability to use the Susanoo."

"Yes Lord Hokage, although I'm hesitant to practice with it due to the drawbacks of the Mangekyo…"

"A fair decision, and your other special abilities?"

"I have good control over my right eye's power, but I'm still hesitant to use it for the same reasons as the Susanoo. I only used the Susanoo against you because I reacted instinctively "

"And the other?" Hiruzen pressed, last he had heard, Fugaku had not yet figured out the ability of his left eye.

"I have a vague idea of what it does innately, but I'm not quite sure how to utilise it yet. I doubt it will be ready in time for the exams."

"Do not worry about it, your skills are more than fine as is." Hiruzen turned to the other Jonin, a smile crossing his face.

"Minato, that new jutsu you used there was also particularly impressive. An original creation I presume?"

"Indeed Lord Third, I designed it to complement my existing fighting style." Minato's chest puffed out a little at the comment. It was nice for your technique to be recognised by the Professor himself.

"In any case, you two are now free to use Training Ground Zero, although I would ask you not to spread its existence. If it is not too much trouble, I would also ask for you two to meet me here every three days for more sparring." He received two nods.

"Excellent, well you two are dismissed." Hiruzen turned to leave the training ground, leaving Minato and Fugaku to glance at each other, grins quickly forming.

"Feel like going a few rounds? I'm still pretty fresh," Minato smirked at his best friend, a kunai raised in challenge.

"Damn right I do," Fugaku grinned in return. Hiruzen smiled and shook his head as the two began to clash. He was beginning to doubt his decision to make Orochimaru his successor. Those two would both make an excellent Hokage.

Once they toned down their antics.

=== 3 weeks later ===

Takanome was very surprised to find that they were the only Konoha team participating in the Chunin Exams. In hindsight it made sense, last year's group had already been promoted, and out of their year, they were the only ones who had ended up with a Jonin sensei who could train them up to the appropriate level.

As such, the party they would be travelling with to the Exams was quite small. It included Team 3, Minato, The Hokage, and somewhat surprisingly, Lady Tsuande. The Sannin had apparently decided to tag along in order to evaluate the medical standards in the Land of Iron, as well as lend a hand during the exams. Takanome was very intimidated by her if he was being honest, especially since she was seemingly hungover, and as such only a moment away from flattening whatever pissed her off.

A large number of ninja and civilians came to see the group off, wishing Team 3 good luck at the exams, and the Hokage at the negotiating table. They were just leaving as Takanome turned to take one last look at the crowd, and he saw something that made his heart skip a beat.

Hiashi and Hizashi were watching him from the back of the crowd. When he locked eyes with them, they both gave a single quick nod, before disappearing with a body flicker. Takanome smiled, the hole in his heart growing ever so slightly smaller.

**A/N: Chunin exams next chapter! Lots of new faces will be showing up in the next chapter, some of whom will be important later on. Also, we passed 2k views and 50 follows on FFnet, so big whoop!**

**Hope you all enjoyed it, please review if you have any feedback.**

**Unicorn out**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Takanome had never been very far out of the village before becoming a Genin, and as such he had been used to the scenery of Konoha and its immediate surroundings. The journey to the Land of Iron offered a refreshing change from that. The Hokage set a relatively slow pace for a party of shinobi, allowing Team 3 to drink in the sights as they passed through thick forests, rolling hills, and eventually the snowy mountains of the Land of Iron.

Much to Takanome's horror and Fugaku's amusement, Heiko begged Hiruzen to let them engage in a snowball fight after setting up camp one evening, under the guise of "aiming practice". Surprisingly he agreed, and even joined in the fun himself. It was a much needed break from the stresses of the upcoming exams and looming summit. That was, until a stray snowball hit Tsunade, who had been relaxing on the sidelines. Her retaliatory projectile put a hole straight through a nearby tree, barely missing Minato's head. That was understandably the end of that.

As they approached the capital city in the late afternoon of their fourth day of travel, Hiruzen donned his official robes and they slowed their pace to a more civilian level. They were met at the gate of the city by a middle aged man with bandages wrapped around his head and a sword at his hip. He was accompanied by a dozen or so Samurai in full armour.

"Greetings Lord Hokage, Lady Tsunade and assembled Leaf Shinobi, I trust your journey to our lands was not too arduous." The man bowed to the group and received one in return.

"Thank you for your welcome General Mifune, and my sincerest gratitude for agreeing to host the first International Chunin exams, I'm sure it required great effort," Hiruzen replied, his voice expressing more emotion than was standard for such a formal introduction

"It is of no consequence Lord Hokage. If it leads toward a more peaceful continent, any cost is more than worth the price."

"I wish that position was held by more of our peers."

"Indeed. Now, I am sure you want to get out of the cold. Allow me to show you to where you will be staying." Mifune turned to look at the Genin, the hint of a smile across his face.

"Since you have only brought a single team, there is enough space in your quarters to accommodate them." Heiko gave a relatively subtle fist pump as Mifune turned to walk down the street, Tsunade and the Hokage walking beside him. The samurai that had accompanied Mifune formed up into a rectangle that trailed Minato and Team 3 at a reasonable distance.

As they travelled through the city, Shodo started pointing out the occasional landmark or point of interest to her fellow Genin.

"Have you been here before? Or did you just read a book on the Land of Iron when you found out we were coming?" Heiko teased Shodo, her teammate rolling her eyes before responding.

"I have been here before, a few times in fact. My father sources a lot of his raw materials from the Land of Iron, so he sometimes comes here to close out important deals in person. I've accompanied him on occasion," she explained, receiving nods of understanding in return. As they walked, they often received waves from the local populace, who would stop what they were doing to see their leader and the Hokage walking side by side.

Their destination was a fancy looking hotel close to the center of the city, near all the government-related buildings. Shodo whispered to her teammates that this was where all the many diplomatic visitors stayed in the capital. The building was a cylinder hewn from solid stone, unlike the scores of wooden and brick structures they had passed, and stood a good half a dozen stories tall.

They entered into the lobby of the building, leaving the squad of Samurai outside, which was an atrium dominated by an immense tree that twisted up to the glass dome that represented the ceiling of the building. Balconies ran around the edges of the atrium, connected to the tree via branches, and Takanome could make out people walking around them. He turned on his Byakugan in order to get a better look at what was above them, but found his vision blocked beyond it's normal bounds.

_There must be some incredibly strong privacy seals set up in order to restrict my sight so effectively… _Takanome mused as they crossed the atrium.

Mifune guided them to the base of the tree, where an archway allowed access to it's hollow core. A large spiral staircase lead up to the higher levels. Mifune stopped at the bottom of the staircase, and bowed once again.

"Regrettably I must leave you now, I need to oversee the final preparations for the exams, which will commence tomorrow at 9am. Your suite is on the top floor, it is the one with the kanji for fire on the door. Please keep the noise down late at night, and be respectful of the other guests, even if they may not exactly be your friends. If you wish to use the training facilities, please let any of the staff know." With that, the General made his departure, leaving the party to climb the long staircase to the top level. There they walked out across a branch to their balcony. Before they entered, Fugaku and Minato went in to sweep for traps or listening devices, coming up with an all clear a few minutes later.

Inside the room was a living and dining area, a meditation room, and four bed rooms, each with a bathroom. The Hokage and Tsunade both took a room to themselves, Minato and Fugaku shared another, and Team 3 took the 4th. Takanome was a bit embarrassed to be sharing a bed and bathroom with a pair of girls, but he decided that expressing that in front of the Hokage wasn't exactly appropriate.

The room itself was incredibly posh, with three double beds covered in immaculate sheets and pillows, the floor in deep carpet, and the walls in various paintings of breathtaking landscapes. The bathroom was a cavernous marble affair, complete with a miniature onsen and a modern shower.

Upon entering the room, Heiko immediately kicked off her sandals, lept a solid 2 meters into the air, switched to a horizontal position, and landed on the middle bed, sinking into the soft mattress.

"Ah, you know this isn't so bad. Sure we might get murdered in the next few days, but at least we will have slept in a bed as comfy as this," she said, hands behind her head and eyes closed.

"I'm going to have to disagree with you there Heiko, but yes, these beds are really comfy," Shodo added as she laid down on the bed to the left, Takanome taking the right. Heiko flipped over onto her stomach, propping her head up with her hands.

"So, you guys excited for the exams?" she asked.

"Yes, although I'm slightly nervous still. As the only Leaf team, I imagine we'll be reasonably large targets," Takanome mused, it had been something that had been bugging him since they had learned of the news.

"True. Depending on the nature of the exam, I think we should adopt a strategy of evasion and try to avoid direct conflict. With Taka's Byakugan we should be able to spot anyone coming at us from far away, and Kushina-sensei showed me a seal that can mask our presence," Shodo suggested, to which her teammates agreed. They spent the next hour or so strategizing and filling each other in on their training, until Fugaku knocked on their door.

"Hey, Lord Hokage and Lady Tsunade have gone out for dinner with Mifune. Me and Minato were going to go check out some places in the city, you three want to come along?"

"Sure Sensei, was getting a bit hungry anyway. I'm super keen to try some Land of Iron food."

The group left their room and made their way towards the center tree, Heiko skipping ahead of the rest of the group. She turned back, probably to make some comment about the rest of them being slow, and as such wasn't watching where she was going.

She slammed into a mountain of red ceramic, bouncing off and landing on the floor. Said mountain turned around, revealing the Five-Tails jinchuriki. Heiko instantly went pale as the man's gaze narrowed as he looked at the rest of the party. Minato and Fugaku rushed forward, forming a wall between the living weapon and the Genin. Shodo and Takanome helped their teammate up, the three of them backing away.

"Ah, so the Leaf makes their appearance once again," the man rumbled.

"We don't want any trouble Han, she ran into you by accident." Minato had his hands raised, palms facing their opponent, voice diplomatic.

"Oh I don't care that she ran into me. I care that they," he pointed to Team 3, "murdered one of my men and then ran away when faced with the consequences. A baby boy has lost his father because of them. I think I have the right to be pissed off." As Han finished speaking another man appeared at his side. Minato narrowed his eyes at Gari of the Explosion Style, who nudged Han with his elbow as he spoke.

"Are these the kids you mentioned that one time Han? The ones who got away from you at Waterfall? And I see they are accompanied by Minato the Yellow Flash and Fugaku the Butcher of Truth. Aren't we lucky," he said mockingly, cracking his knuckles as miniature explosions flashed in his palms.

Fugaku tapped Minato on the side, giving a flurry of Leaf hand signals.

"_If attacked, I'll protect Genin, you get Hokage_" He signed, Minato giving a slight nod in response.

"I don't know many Treehugger signs, but I do recognise the one for Hokage. Where is the old man anyway, I'm sure the Tsuchikage would love to see him."

"Well that is why we are here is it not? For the Kage to speak?" Fugaku countered, his eyes beginning to show a slight red hue.

"True, but personally I'd prefer to do a different kind of talking. I'm sure old Mifune won't mind if we have a little fun." Gari's hands were now held at his sides, the rapid explosions in them growing.

"I see the Stone and Leaf, who obviously have some beef." Both parties snapped their heads around to see another pair of ninja emerging from one of the bridges. They were dark skinned and clad in the flak jackets of the Hidden Cloud, although one of them wore nothing underneath while the other had a high collared shirt.

"Shut up Bee, now is not the time for your rapping. What exactly is going on here?"

"Piss off Ay, this is none of your business," Han snapped, steam rising off of his armour.

"Oh well you've just made it my business Boiler Breath," Ay growled as lightning began to flicker across his body.

"Everyone we need to calm down, we are here for a peace conference!" Minato was panicking slightly, despite his best efforts the situation was escalating towards an all out brawl. He was running through his options when a voice came over him that erased all thought of peace from his mind.

"Calm down boys. Namikaze is right, there is no need to start a brawl." Minato wheeled around to glare daggers at the white haired woman standing behind him, completely ignoring the Three Tails jinchuriki who stood next to her. She smirked at him, and his vision went red, a Rasengan swirling to life in his hand.

"Hozuki you slimy bastard, give me one good reason I shouldn't grind you to paste right now."

"Well Namikaze, would the fact that you couldn't even if you tried be good enough?"

It was at this point that Fugaku began to fear for his Genins' lives. A room full of A and S rank Jonin, three of them Jinchuriki, were about to throw down. A quick glance back showed Team 3 immobilised with fear, the raw chakra leaking off the bristling shinobi locking them in place. Fugaku's eyes darted around, Mangekyo picking up every little detail of his enemies, searching for an opening should the situation go south.

The flicker of red chakra around Bee and Yagura, both Jinchuiriki forming the beginnings of their signature cloaks. The flash of lightning around Ay's body, the blue arcs dancing across his dark skin contrasting against the droplets of water that indicated Ren Hozuki was about to transform. And most obviously, the crackle of explosions across Gari's body.

The standoff continued for a few moments before Gari made the first move. He launched across the room towards Fugaku, using a pair of explosions from his feet to add to his speed. However, he didn't make it more than a quarter of the across the room, before a silver blur slammed into him, sending him flying.

As Gari impacted the wall of the tree, the blur resolved into a man wearing a Hidden Sand uniform, a pair of bastard swords strapped to his back. The man held Gari up against the wall by his throat, the Stone Jonin struggling ineffectually against his grip. Minato took a reflexive step back as Kenzo of the Steel Wind began to speak, words tumbling out of his mouth.

"Look guys okay, can we just chill out? Like, this is a peace conference first and foremost after all. I know Rasa really wouldn't be happy with me getting into a fight with all of you, and I'm sure the same is true for all of your respective Kage yeah? Plus, it would kinda suck if the Chunin exams got called off as well, I'm personally really excited to watch all the cute little Genin compete." he turned to wink at Team 3 before continuing. "My nephew's even competing! I think this is a great opportunity to foster better relations between the villages. I mean, I think it would be really great if our children and grandchildren didn't have to murder each other in cold blood. Would you agree Gari? I mean I know you Stone guys really really hate Leaf shinobi, but surely you can just cool it, at least for the duration of the event?"

The Head of the Explosion Corps understandably gave no response, too busy clawing at the hand around his throat.

"Oh you want me to let you go?" He paused for a second, other hand rubbing his lightly bearded chin.

"You know what, that's pretty fair, I'll do so if you all agree to stop fighting. Clear?" he said, getting a few quick nods and affirmatives from the assembled Jonin.

"Great!" Kenzo smiled as he dropped Gari to the floor, the man gasping for breath. As he stood up, Gari glared at the Sand Ninja, but didn't make any move to attack him. After a few moments, the assembled shinobi, sans Kenzo and the Leaf nin, dispersed. Some of them made their way back inside to their rooms, while others took the staircase down to the lobby. Han and Gari gave one last glare at the Konoha Ninja, before disappearing back into their apartment.

Kenzo made his way over to where Minato and Fugaku stood, the pair still tense in his presence. He raised his palms up, a disarming grin on his face.

"Pleased to finally meet you two, I would introduce myself but I'm sure Jiraiya's mentioned me a few times. How is the Toad Sage doing anyway? Haven't seen him in a while."

"Correct me if I'm wrong Lord Soku, but wasn't the last time that you saw him when you fought him during the second war?" Minato deadpanned. Kenzo cocked his head slightly before responding.

"Actually that's incorrect. First off, they weren't called the Sannin at that point. Secondly, I in fact last saw him 7 years ago. Funnily enough, the two of us agree on many topics now. We've both now dedicated ourselves to finding a way to bring about peace in this war-racked world." He paused for a moment, then continued, his attention now focused on Team 3. "But enough on such a depressing topic, which of you is the supervisor of this fine group of Genin?"

"They're mine Lord Soku," Fugaku responded.

"Well a pleasure to meet you Fugaku's Genin, my name is Kenzo of the Steel Wind, Jonin of The Village Hidden in the Sand. Hopefully our villages will only be enemies in the Exams, and not on the battlefield. I look forward to seeing your performances." He seemed to glance ever so slightly towards Fugaku and Minato with that last sentence. Then with a wave, the man disappeared, a faint gust of wind the only sign he had ever been there at all..

"Sensei, who was that? I've never heard of him before, but all the other guards seemed almost scared of him…" Shodo asked, her voice still slightly shaky.

"That, Shodo, is the reason the Raikage stopped calling himself the fastest ninja alive."

The next morning, Team 3 woke up early to make their way to the first stage of the Chunin Exams. A samurai came to collect them at 8:00 and took them to a large building just down the way from their hotel. When they arrived inside, they were met with a wave of surprise, quickly followed by a range of feelings ranging from curiosity to outright hatred.

All the other major villages were well represented, Team 3 feeling isolated as they made their way to a registration desk. There an exam official assigned their team an ID that would be their identifier for the rest of the exam. Fortunately for them, the ID was based on village and as such they were Team L1.

The three of them moved to a quiet corner of the room to wait for the proceedings to begin. Takanome took this opportunity to do a bit of scouting on the competition. He activated his Byakugan and swept his vision across the assembled Genin, safe in the knowledge that none of them should be able to detect him. Even if they could, knowing now that there was someone who could trace his Byakugan would be a significant piece of intel.

The first opponents that stood out to him were a team from the Hidden Mist, their chakra signatures standing significantly above the surrounding competitors. The team was made up of two girls, one of whom had a huge mane of auburn hair, and a black haired boy. The boy had a standard sword strapped to his back, and had bandages wrapped around the lower half of his face. Both the girls had something odd about their chakra, something Takanome couldn't quite put his finger on.

The next group that drew Takanome's attention was a trio of Cloud Shinobi, this time two boys (one dark skinned, the other pale) and a girl. All three wore the standard cloud uniform and were currently talking amongst themselves. The dark skinned boy had the same kind of odd chakra as the two Mist Kunoichi from earlier. Takanome was about to shift his perspective in for a closer examination, when a shout grabbed his attention. The voice came from a senior looking samurai, who was flanked by a pair of guards.

"Listen up Genin, this is the beginning of the First International Chunin exams. If you want to back out, now is the time." He waited for a moment, silence filling the room.

"Well then, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Okisuke and I will be the proctor of the first stage. The purpose of this stage is to evaluate stealth, infiltration and intelligence gathering skills. You will be given a map of the city that is marked with infiltration points or "targets". Each target will be a building that you must infiltrate to gain the intel inside. The buildings will be guarded by samurai, and if any of them raise the alarm while you are in the building, you and your team will be disqualified." Takanome absorbed the information as Okisuke paused for a moment.

"Within each building you will find one of two kinds of first is essential intel, which you must obtain and retain at least one of in order to pass this stage. It takes the form of a jeweled brooch, and your team will pass the first stage if you bring it back here. The second is bonus intel, which will be in scrolls tied with a blue ribbon. The contents of these scrolls will assist you during the second stage of the exam... if you make it that far." The samurai once again paused as the competitors whispered among themselves.

"Inter team combat and sabotage is allowed, as is stealing intel from others. Killing of other teams is allowed, but will reflect badly on you. However, killing of Samurai guards is absolutely forbidden. If you do so, your entire village will be expelled from the event. Now please collect your maps, the first stage will begin at dusk."

Takanome gulped as Team 3 made their way over to collect their map. He could feel the gazes of dozens of other Genin on the back of his head. They needed to get in as soon as possible, and then get out.

Or they wouldn't live to see another sunrise.

**A/N: Hey everyone, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Sorry I took longer than usual, been crushed by uni work and this whole COVID-19 mess (btw hope everyone stays safe and healthy!). Plus, If I'd put the first stage in this chapter like I originally intended, you would be waiting quite a bit longer. If you have something to say, I'd love to hear from you and thank you as always to TheMasterDoughnut for Betaing.**

**Thanks for reading**

**Unicorn Out**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

Team 3 spent the rest of the day strategizing and looking over the map they had been given.

"There are only 16 pieces of essential intel total, and considering how many teams we saw earlier, competition is going to be tight," Heiko mused, tracing her fingers over possible routes to their targets from the hotel.

"I think this one is the most promising," Takanome pointed to a target that was situated in a trainyard on the edge of the city. It was quite out of the way compared to the other essential targets, most of which were closer to the registration building.

"Sure it's secluded, but it's also far away from any bonus intel," Shodo commented.

"I don't think we should be worried about procuring bonus intel, I'd rather just get this done and get out," Takanome countered, his brow furrowed.

"Well we need to get to the registration building right? How about we go to the train station and then if all is good on our way back, we can hit this bonus intel here." Heiko indicated a target that was situated in a multi-story office building that was directly on the path from the train station to their goal.

"Works for me."

"I will concur with that."

"Alright, then let's get ready to smash this thing."

A few minutes before sunset, Team 3 slipped out of the window of their hotel room, obscurement seals inscribed onto their clothes. To an outside observer, they would look like the faintest shimmer of the air in the fading light of dusk. They made their way across the city towards their target, one of two train stations in the city according to the map, and was the one designated for cargo purposes. Trains had only been a semi-recent invention, a collaborative project between the Land of Iron, Land of Snow and Land of Fire's national universities that had quickly revolutionised transportation of both people and goods.

As they arrived, they perched on the corner of the roof of an office building across the street from the station. The central administration building was surrounded by a semicircle of tracks, trains and sheds, each a possible location for their target. Samurai could also be seen patrolling the area, their armour glinting in the red light of the setting sun.

"I'm going to do a sweep, see if I can locate the brooch," Takanome whispered, Shodo and Heiko scanning their surroundings for other teams. Takanome flicked on his Byakugan, quickly detaching his point of view and moving it towards the admin building. Takanome increased the matter-penetration of his vision, to the point where the brick walls of the building became as clear as glass, revealing a myriad of samurai soldiers patrolling the building. However, a thorough inspection of all possible hiding places yielded nothing, the brooch nowhere to be found.

"It's not in the main building, I'm going to have to get closer to the outer sheds in order to check them." Sure Takanome could see inside the sheds with his Byakugan, but not at the level of detail needed to check for the brooch.

"Understood, once the test begins we will start at the eastern edge and work clockwise around," Shodo ordered. She opened her mouth to say something else when Heiko hissed and dropped below the edge of the roof, pulling her team down with her. Even though they had the obcursement seals, she didn't want to risk them being seen by what she had spotted.

"Hidden Stone at 3 o'clock." A trio of red-jacketed stone-nin had taken up positions on the building next to Team 3.

"Their chakra signatures are average sized and don't seem to be special in any way. Tall one is a weapons specialist judging by the density of kunai she is carrying. Other two have no discernable combat features." Takanome reported, Byakugan now inspecting their competitors. "Should we engage them or try to avoid?" Shodo considered the question for a moment before her expression hardened.

"As soon as the exam begins, we will eliminate them as fast as possible. I don't want anything around that could throw a spanner into our plan."

"Lethal or Non-Lethal?" Heiko asked, drawing a kunai from her pouch.

"Non-lethal, we should have the element of surprise, and I don't want to piss off the Hidden Stone any more than we already have." Her teammates nodded, the three of them poised to strike.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, a loud siren sounded throughout the city, evidently their cue to begin. Immediately, Team 3 leaped across the other building, and fell upon their enemies in a storm of steel and chakra, each of them taking a different stone nin. Takanome locked his enemy's movement with a series of rapid gentle fist strikes. Shodo and Heiko dispatched their targets with similar efficiency. They knocked out and tied the stone nin up and then proceeded across the street towards the train station.

Takanome flipped on his Byakugan as the group leaped over the wall surrounding the trainyard, once more scanning the outlying sheds as Team 3 made their way over to the closest one, slipping past a samurai patrol on the way. Takanome quickly scanned it, revealing a storage area for various tools.

"It's empty, let's keep moving," he murmured, signaling Team 3 to shift to the next building in order to repeat the process there. A few buildings later, Takanome noticed a sparkle of green nestled in the back of a filing cabinet in a wheel maintenance workshop, which they were sitting on the roof of.

"It's in here; Shodo have you got that seal you mentioned? The portable hole?"

"Yes, is there anyone inside?"

"One samurai near the door, if you put the hole around here, he shouldn't notice it," Takanome indicated a spot at the back left corner. Shodo drew a circular paper seal from her bag, and stuck it to the roof. Team 3 stepped back as the seal flashed blue and the inner pocket dimension of the storage seal base extruded into real space. The result was a hole in the roof, although where the edges should have shown a cross section of metal, a black void had taken up residence. Takanome dropped down behind a desk, feet cushioned with chakra as he watched the samurai guarding the door. The man was facing away from where the portable hole was, rather looking towards the front door.

Takanome vaulted over the desk, a single leap taking him across the room before the samurai could react. He slammed his palm into the man's helmet, smacking it against the wall. After the armoured body slumped to the ground, Takanome gave him a quick once over to check he had no serious injuries.

He then quickly shifted to the cabinet and retrieved the brooch, tucking it away into his kunai pouch. A quick wind-boosted jump landed him back on top of the roof, Shodo closing the portable hole behind him.

"I've got it, now let's see if we can't acquire some bonus intel from that office building." The group leapt from the roof of the workshop and rushed for the outer wall of the trainyard, effortlessly climbing up and over it, continuing to a roof across the street.

Team 3 started moving at full tilt, leaping across roofs throughout the city towards the office block. Takanome kept his Byakugan active the whole time, and almost missed his step when he saw what was happening.

The first thing he was drawn to was the massive bank of fog that was quickly rolling in across the northern half of the city, the chakra signatures of the Hidden Mist team he had been drawn to earlier woven into it. The cloud effectively blocked his vision completely in that direction, and he quickly informed his team that they should avoid moving in that direction at all costs. Not only would his Byakugan be useless, the obscurement seals would not stop the mist from being displaced by their movement.

The second point that had caused Takanome to almost stumble, was the obvious fact that many of the teams had ignored the order to avoid killing if possible. He spotted many groups of fading chakra signatures, and a significant number of dead bodies strewn on roofs and in alleyways. Takanome shuddered at the thought of some poor Land of Iron citizen taking out their garbage the next morning only to find the corpse of a child in their bin.

Soon enough the office building came into sight, their only disruption having been a close call with a sand team. Team 3 perched on a large flat rooftop nearby, Shodo and Heiko keeping watch while Takanome scoured the building for the scroll.

That was, until a blast of lightning split the air.

**Hey readers, it's been a while hasn't it? Sorry about that (and the short chapter), just been swamped with Uni, getting pretty sick (not Corona fortunately), and the whole Covid situation in general. I've got a break coming up though, so hopefully I can pump out some good stuff for you guys. As always, thanks to TheMasterDoughnut for Betating, and to the r/NarutoFanfiction Discord for helping out. Stay safe, and leave a review if you enjoyed/have feedback.**

**Thanks for reading**

**Unicorn out**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

Team Ay had casually dispatched three other teams to obtain the brooch that Darui now held, and were en-route to their second batch of bonus intel. That was, until Cee called a halt, hands shaped into the rat seal, a technique he used to increase his sensory range.

"I can feel a strong team on the edge of my range, but their signatures are hazy, like there is some kind of disruption..." he said quietly, eyes scrunched closed in a look of concentration.

"Might be some sort of obscurement seal, take us in the general direction and I can see what I can whip up on the way to counteract it," Kay replied, the sealing specialist scribbling on a piece of paper she pulled from her pouch, as Cee lead them towards the cloaked team.

A few moments later Kay finished writing out the seal, and passed it to Cee. It flashed blue as the blond stuck it to the back of his hand, the paper sticking to his skin.

"Ah that was perfect, I can feel them clear as day now. It's the leaf team, seems like they're checking out the same bonus intel we are."

"Oh the one Sensei told us about? The Butcher of Truth's team?" Kay replied as she put her calligraphy supplies away.

"They're definitely a team to watch out for. Do we still want to engage them?" Cee asked, head turning to Darui as they dashed towards the leaf team.

"Yeah sorry, I want to check these guys out. Just test them a little, see if they're something to worry about," the team leader said, " but I don't want to take them out just yet. They'll probably end up drawing a lot of agro 'cause they're the only leaf team. Either they're good enough to survive and eliminate a bunch of weaker teams, or they just get taken out themselves. Either way it's a win for us." His explanation earned a nod from both of his teammates.

A moment later, Cee indicated that their targets were at the edge of the building they just landed on. Darui immediately flew through a string of hand seals, launching a bolt of lightning straight forwards at the slight haze he noticed.

The bolt impacted the distortion, which split into three and then broke away, revealing a trio of ninja with leaf headbands. They didn't waste a moment, leaping towards Team Ay, various jutsu already activated.

The cloud nin met their opponents head on, Darui engaging the Hyuuga in the middle of the group. His cleaver sword flickering with lightning chakra. He brought the large blade down towards the dark haired boy, but his eyes widened in dismay when the Hyuuga batted his sword to the side.

His brows furrowed, and he swung again, only for his blade to be deflected once more. He cursed, confused why his attacks seemed so ineffective, until he saw it - on the hyuuga's hands, a thin veil of quickly vibrating air insulating him from the electricity.

"Huh, I thought Hyuga didn't use elemental jutsu?" Darui said, his tone even and conversational despite the pitched battle surrounding him. His opponent simply scowled and attacked with a particularly nasty triple hit combo, each strike barely deflected by the steel of Darui's sword.

"Well you've certainly got the cool Hyuga attitude down pat," he drawled, his words eliciting an immediate reaction far stronger than his previous taunt. With an immense burst of speed, the leaf nin swept Darui's legs out from underneath him, and without missing a beat, blasted him with a wall of wind.

The cloud nin was sent flying across the rooftop, narrowly missing Kay, who was locked in an intense duel with what seemed to be another sealing expert. Darui barely grabbed the edge of the roof with his left hand as he went sailing over it, pulling himself up and landing in a crouch.

He barely had a second to recover before his adversary was upon him once more, but this time Darui was ready. The crackle of lightning switched to a low hum as it was focused to the edge of the cleaver. He brought it down with an overhead swing, the Hyuga barely shifting out of its path in time. The roof wasn't so lucky however, the huge blade slicing deep into the concrete.

Darui used this to his advantage, taking ahold of the handle of the sword and using it as leverage. He swung around and landed a solid kick to his enemy's face with his left foot, his opponent's head snapping around from the impact.

Darui used this moment of distraction to call for a retreat; he had seen enough of this elemental Hyuga to know he was the real deal. Better to get a clean extraction now than to risk any injury leading into the second round..

Cee cleanly covered their retreat with a quick flash pillar, allowing Team Ay to slip away under the cover of the burning light. Sure the technique would act as a beacon to draw other teams in, but that was the leaf team's problem now, not theirs.

"I'll admit those leaf guys were pretty cool," Darui mused as Team Ay made their way towards the registration building a few minutes later, their second piece of bonus intel secured in his kunai pouch.

"Yep, they had a pretty good sealing expert on their team. Not as good as yours truly of course, but still, definitely impressive for a village who used to import all of their advanced sealing from Whirlpool." Coming from Kay that was a significant compliment, although that didn't stop Cee from rolling his eyes at his teammate's subtle boasting.

They arrived at the registration building without any interference from other teams, and happily took up a comfortable spot in the corner after handing in their broach. Once there, they retrieved their two bonus intel scrolls and unrolled them, curious as to what could be inside.

Somewhat surprisingly, the scrolls were almost blank, save for a set of coordinates and some strange symbols, but Team Ay was still careful to shield their contents from the two other teams that had already finished.

"Hmm, these coordinates are for a location around 30 kilometers north of the city, but I have no idea as to what these symbols are, I've never seen anything like them…" Cee mumbled, almost too deep in thought to speak properly, and Darui's own reaction was equally puzzled.

"My guess would be that there is something at those coordinates that relates to the symbols. Perhaps some sort of code?" Kay suggested, eliciting nods from her teammates.

Darui opened his mouth to comment, but was distracted by the leaf team entering the registration building, looking no worse for wear than Team Ay had left them. They marched up to the desk where they gave in their broach, and moved over to a spot on the wall on the other side of the room. Darui thought for a moment, a small smile creeping onto his face.

"Perhaps we should continue scoping out the competition? This event is supposed to be encouraging inter-village co-operation no? Introduce ourselves to our fellow shinobi? Sound cool?" He suggested.

"Eh why not, it's not like we're going to make any progress on this scroll anyway right now," Kay rolled up the parchment and rose to her feet, Team Ay making their way over to where the Leaf Nin were tightly huddled together. As they got closer, the fire country natives exchanged a flurry of hushed words, and Darui's trained ears picked up the slightest sound of crinkling paper.

"Hey there, sorry about earlier, we just wanted to see what you guys were made of, test you out a bit," he smiled along with his words, trying to radiate as much friendliness as possible.

"Well you certainly could have been more gentle about it," the white haired girl laughed, surpassing Darui's aura of affability without any apparent effort. "Heiko Haiiro of Team 3, pleased to make your acquaintance. Glad to see others understanding the point of this event." A warm smile covered her face as she said this, simultaneously extending a hand, which he took in his own.

"And these are my teammates, Shodo Maekawa and Takanome," she said, gesturing to each of her companions. Darui's eyebrow raised slightly at the omitted last name, filing it away for future investigation. Surely she didn't think they were dumb enough to not notice he was a Hyuga? But still, two clan children on one team, and wasn't Maekawa the name of that big shipping corporation? That was, if they were even telling the truth about their names...

"Darui, Cee and Kay, of Team Ay," he answered, noticing their eyes widen slightly at the name of their sensei, or perhaps they thought he meant the Raikage himself? No need to elaborate in any case.

"So did we pass your test?" Heiko said, almost mocking in her tone.

"I'd say so yeah, oh and Shodo was it? Your sealwork is very impressive for a leaf ninja," Kay said, the backhanded nature of the complement not going unnoticed by it's recipient. Shodo was about to reply when the front doors of the building slammed open.

Cee's head shot up, eyes slightly widened at the new entrants. It was a team from the Mist, one they had marked earlier as being a possible problem, two girls and a boy.. The first girl, who was clearly the leader by the way her teammates followed behind her, had an impressive mane of red hair, hued the colour of dried blood. It was her entrance that drew Cee's attention, but Darui's was drawn by her male teammate, whose clothes were stained the same colour as her hair. Evidently they hadn't taken the "killing is frowned upon" rule to heart. The third member had the darkest hair Darui had ever seen, and was clad in more traditional clothes than the other two.

The trio sauntered over to the hand-in desk, the red-haired girl presenting a broach to the attending Samurai. Darui's eyes narrowed as they made their way to the other side of the room. Definitely another team to watch out for, and possibly do some recon on. But right now he needed to focus on the leaf team.

Darui turned back to speak to them, only to be met with a face he had seen staring back at him from the Hidden Cloud bingo book. Fugaku Uchiha, the Butcher of Truth. Darui immediately dropped his gaze from the man's face to his feet, terrified that he may have been placed under a genjutsu without his knowledge.

"If you'll excuse me Team Ay, I need to discuss some classified topics with my students. If you would excuse us for a moment?" Fugaku's tone was measured, and Darui could barely stammer out a "of course sir, sorry," before the leaf nin moved away.

"Sorry to interrupt your making of new friends, but I just wanted to brief you guys on some emergency procedures," Fugaku said after leading Team 3 into a side room.

"Emergency procedures? I thought those were just to stay close and out of your way?" Heiko questioned, eyes quickly darting around their new locale.

"Well yes, but actually no. The first section of the kage summit is going to take me out of the city for a couple days, and I can't bring you three with me. If something goes down while I'm out of town, there is a suspended animation scroll in Lord Third's apartment. It's hidden from enemies by a genjutsu, so you should be safe once you get inside. Just put your hands on the scroll and apply chakra," Fugaku explained to his wide eyed students.

"Do you think that it's likely we'll need it sensei?" Shodo quiered, a slight shake present in her voice.

"I do not, but as you know one of the core tenants of being a shinobi is to expect the unexpected," Fugaku's tone took on a lighter note towards the end of his sentence.

"And in any case, I would like to congratulate the three of you on passing the first stage, although I can't say I am surprised,' Team Three beamed at their sensei's praise, but were distracted by the sudden sound of a bell being rung.

"That will be my cue to leave, seems like they will be informing you as to the nature of the second stage. See you back at the hotel," Fugaku gave a quick wave and disappeared into a body flicker.

Team 3 quickly made their way back to the main room of the building, finding the other 15 passing teams gathering in front of Okisuke.

"Congratulations to all of you for making it through the first stage of exams. However, your trials will only grow harder from here. The second stage will be a test of survival and tracking skills. Five days from now, you will need to climb Skybreak Mountain, the highest peak in the Land of Iron. Those who make it to the top will progress to the third and final stage. You will be allowed to bring any amount of supplies you can carry," there was a number of low murmurs in response to that.

"We should probably acquire some extreme cold weather gear," Takanome whispered to Heiko, but she shushed him as Okisuke's monotone voice started up again.

"However, those who collected bonus intel in the first stage will find supply caches at the encoded coordinates. Other than that, there are no other rules. You cannot back out once you are on the mountain. You either reach the summit…" Okisuke's eyes glinted with an emotion that Takanome couldn't quite decode.

"...or you die."

And with that ominous declaration, the genin were ushered out of the building.

The next morning Team 3 awoke to an empty apartment, and when they exited after to breakfast to locate the rest of their party, they were met with a member of the hotel staff.

"Honoured Genin, the Lord Hokage has requested I take you to him. Please follow me," she said, bowing and then spinning around to walk at a brisk pace. The group arrived at a large training room a few minutes later, finding Minato and Fugaku sparring in one of the corners while the Hokage circled around them, dressed in his combat attire. He turned to face them as they entered, the staff member quickly departing.

"Ah Team 3, congratulations on passing the first stage," the man smiled as he received the Genin's reciprocation of gratitude, then held his hand up to silence them.

"However, you mustn't become overconfident. Take these next few days as more time to prepare for the challenges ahead of you. As much as I would like to train you personally, I will be deeply engaged with diplomatic endeavours starting this evening. In fact, Heiko, I need you to accompany me and Fugaku to a formal dinner tonight with the Kazekage. He has requested that I bring one of you three along, and since he will have a clan heir with him, I would like to respond in kind."

"I would be honoured," Heiko bowed, externally composed but internally terrified. Formality had never been her strong suit, but even if it had been, a meeting between kage was on a whole different level than she had experienced! Hiruzen evidently noticed her inner turmoil, as he offered her a warm smile and a pat on the shoulder.

"Do not worry Heiko, you will do just fine. In any case however, in absence of extensive training I would like to watch each of you spar close up a few times, and then I will give each of you some individual instruction. He turned to Fugaku and Minato, the pair still locked in combat.

"Continue as you two are," he said, before turning and beckoning Team 3 to follow him to the other side of the training room which held another sparring ring.

Team 3 then faced off against each other in a little round robin.

The first match was Takanome vs Heiko, with the latter barely triumphing through some creative use of Yang Release to blind Takanome from a fast rushdown.

Heiko also won against Shodo. Although she started to slow down by the end of the round, Heiko's physical prowess denied the other girl the chance to set up the intricate traps and plans she favoured.

Hiruzen gave them a short rest after that, but that wasn't enough to allow Shodo to beat Takanome, who was even more dangerous up close than Heiko, despite being slower.

Hiruzen observed all three matches in silence, his eyes transfixed on the action unfolding in front of him. At some points he would summon a pair of shadow clones to observe the fight from another angle, or ask the combatants to rewind and repeat what they had just done.

At the end of it. Hiruzen once more created a pair of shadow clones, each version of him taking a different member of Team 3 to a corner of the room, with Fugaku and Minato occupying the fourth.

"Takanome, the first thing that I would like to tell you is that I do not support Himura's decision to remove you from the clan. However, as I'm sure you know, one of the only limits on the Hokage's power as set forth in the founding charter of the village is their inability to interfere in internal clan affairs, provided it does not severely impact the function of the village," Hiruzen's tone was one of sincerity, but the same couldn't be said about Takanome's curt reply of "Thank you".

Hiruzen elected to ignore the slight insubordination, and opted to begin the lesson. He started by pointing out a couple of flaws in Takanome's execution of both wind style and the gentle fist. Not large mistakes, just safer or more economical ways of executing the same moves, as well as some extra tips. A twist of the hand to add more rotation to a blade of wind, a bending of the knee to sneak just under an opponent's guard. The kind of minute tricks that one picked up from a lifetime of being a ninja, but small as they may be, they could be the difference between life and death.

Hiruzen concluded the lesson by putting up an obscurement seal, which Takanome found quite perplexing. What exactly did the Professor have to hide from the rest of their party?

All became obvious when the Hokage dropped into a highly distinctive stance.

**Hey everyone, sorry for the big delay between updates! Once again uni and wisdom teeth surgery kicking my ass + a lack of inspiration. Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter anyway. Also we passed the 1st anniversary of the posting of the fic! So that's sweet. Anyway thanks for reading, and thanks to TheMasterDoughnut for Betaing. Stay safe and keep your eyes peeled for the next installment of BEV!**

**Unicorn out!**


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